Spartan Scroll

by ANTHONY VUONG

Releasing his third studio album “Divide” singer Ed Sheeran brings a mixture of frustrating emotions to his music that possibly embody view of love.

Courtesy of vinylcollective.com

Happiness and the struggles one goes through to find it are portrayed in Sheeran’s music. His song “Eraser” talks about his journey to become a successful artist, as well as the difficulties of trying to find joy. The majority of the emotional struggles are told in Sheeran’s perspective and can be relatable to the possible insecurities of today’s youth as he expresses his past relationship problems and experiences in songs like“Hearts Don’t Break Around Here.”

Sheeran’s new album features a Hip Hop style, as many of his songs such as “Galway Girl” show his ability to rap. Although Sheeran’s rapping style may sound awkward with his British accent, his message of how love can be deceiving was demonstrated very well by his upbeat, aggressive delivery. This could also allow listeners to feel the universal pain of being betrayed by someone loved.

One of his popular singles, “Castle on the Hill” shows the audience how he misses having the free time of a child to do things like mindlessly watching the sunset, which can remind young listeners to take advantage of their time.

Using one of his best known musical talents on the guitar, Sheeran demonstrates some country-style chord progressions throughout his song, “What Do I Know?” The country elements musically express a calm mood through the use of acoustic guitar tabs being played at a mellow pace. As Sheeran sings casually about how love can be a solution to many world problems in the song, listeners are free to ponder the meaning of love for themselves, as it was given no specific definition in the song.

“Divide” follows the consistent, acoustic element of expressing love that was present in Sheeran’s past albums, however the musical genres like Hip Hop are more diverse and expressed of realistic experiences. Sheeran’s relationship problems are used to share his perspective on how love can be bittersweet.

Released March 3 the album can be purchased through different online outlets or at retail stores.