Ed Sheeran has announced the last in a series of mathematical-themed albums with Subtract.

Sheeran’s latest album, denoted by the mathematical symbol ‘-‘, will be released on May 5 via Asylum/Atlantic. ‘-‘ is the follow-up to ‘=’ (equal), released in 2021.

“I had been working on Subtract for a decade, trying to sculpt the perfect acoustic album, writing and recording hundreds of songs with a clear vision of what I thought it should be. Then at the start of 2022, a series of events changed my life, my mental health, and ultimately the way I viewed music and art,” Sheeran said in a press release about the upcoming album.

“I had been working on Subtract for a decade, trying to sculpt the perfect acoustic album, writing and recording hundreds of songs with a clear vision of what I thought it should be,” he added. “Then at the start of 2022, a series of events changed my life, my mental health, and ultimately the way I viewed music and art.”

“Writing songs is my therapy. It helps me make sense of my feelings,” he continued. “I wrote without thought of what the songs would be, I just wrote whatever tumbled out. And in just over a week, I replaced a decade’s worth of work with my deepest darkest thoughts. Within the space of a month, my pregnant wife got told she had a tumour, with no route to treatment until after the birth. My best friend Jamal, a brother to me, died suddenly and I found myself standing in court defending my integrity and career as a songwriter. I was spiraling through fear, depression and anxiety.”

“For the first time I’m not trying to craft an album people will like, I’m merely putting something out that’s honest and true to where I am in my adult life,” Sheeran said.

The 14-track album was co-written and produced by Sheeran and The National‘s Aaron Dessner.

(Photo: Dan Martensen)

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