Ed Divides Opinion With Huge Comeback

In the first week of 2017, the world of music has been dominated by one man alone thanks to the long-awaited return of Ed Sheeran.

At 5:00 am (GMT) yesterday, Ed released not one but two tracks - the surprisingly dance-influenced Shape Of You and Castle on the Hill, an autobiographical "ode to Sussex" that is arguably closer to the sound of his previous studio albums + and X but still represents a significant departure from previous work. It is almost certain that his new album, set for release this year, is to be titled ÷, continuing the mathematical theme of his record titles so far.

NRMB's resident Sheeran super fan and expert Will Cruddace stayed up ALL NIGHT ahead of the 5:00 am release of the singles, not going to sleep at all before the songs were released and, in a caffeine-induced haze, describing them as not Sheeran's best. While Will sticks by this, over the last day or so has grown to love the tunes.

"Castle on the Hill was my original favourite, now I can't decide," he reflected. "Shape of You is the best song to listen to in the car. My favourite part is the knowing look from other drivers, like 'oh yeah, he's on the Sheeran hype.'"

And it seems as though much of the world is on the Sheeran hype at the minute, with Shape of You and Castle on the Hill taking up the number one and two spots in iTunes charts in over fifty countries. As may be expected from its sound, Shape of You is performing better and was originally written for Rihanna.

Castle on the Hill, meanwhile, has already been covered by Lewis Watson, while its "driving at 90" lyric has prompted a warning from Sussex Police about the country roads described. If you heard Ed's new music and felt compelled to break speed limits as a result, we would love to hear from you.

Among the rest of the NRMB team, and indeed a significant number of people, opinion has been mixed. "Any idea what genre Ed is trying to go for? Cos it sounds like two completely different tracks," pondered Dan McGrath, who described himself as "not a fan of either". Long time Sheeran enthusiast Laurence Penna mused that the tracks are "not bad, I do like them", although they are "a little too commercial" in his view. By contrast, Izzie Mawhood said that she "ach loves them."

Expect more news and music from Ed soon, with rumours of a headline Glastonbury slot not going away, and the release of ÷ along with a tour announcement due soon. 2017 will be Sheeran's world. We're just living in it.