Ed Sheeran is back—and this time, he’s in full technicolor.
The singer-songwriter just announced his upcoming album Play, due out on September 12 via Gingerbread Man Records/Atlantic Records, and gave fans a sneak peek with his brand-new single “Old Phone.”
Play marks a noticeable shift in tone for Ed, coming after some heavy personal experiences. In a heartfelt statement, he explained what inspired the record.
“Play was an album that was made as a direct response to the darkest period of my life. Coming out of all of that I just wanted to create joy and technicolour, and explore cultures in the countries I was touring,” he shared.
“I made this record all over the world, finished it in Goa, India, and had the most fun, explorative creative days of my life. It’s a real rollercoaster of emotions from start to finish, it encapsulates everything that I love about music, and the fun in it, but also where I am in life as a human, a partner, a father,” he continued.
The album’s first single, “Old Phone,” is deeply introspective. In it, Ed reflects on finding an old phone and reliving years’ worth of memories—some beautiful, others painful.
“Conversations with my dead friends / Messages from all my exes / I kinda think that this was best left / In the past where it belongs.”
The lyrics paint a picture of lost connections, emotional growth, and the bittersweet nature of nostalgia. “I found my old phone today / So full of love, yet so full of hate,” he sings in the bridge—an emotional punch wrapped in acoustic melodies.
True to his word, Ed’s approach to Play is all about spontaneity and joy. “Going into this album campaign I said to myself ‘I just want everything I do to be fun and playful’ – so that’s why we are building pubs for folk jams, doing gigs on open top buses and singing in pink cowboy hats on bars,” he wrote. “The older I get the more I just want to enjoy things, and savour the moments that are mad and chaotic.”
You can pre-order Play now—and prepare yourself for a musical journey that blends joy, introspection, and a whole lot of heart.
PLAY TRACKLIST:
1. Opening
2. Sapphire
3. Azizam
4. Old Phone
5. Symmetry
6. Camera
7. In Other Words
8. A LIttle More
9. Slowly
10. Don’t Look Down
11. The Vow
12. For Always
13. Heaven
Read the lyrics of “Old Phone”…
[Verse 1]
I found my old phone today
In a box that I had hidden away
Nostalgia tryin’ to lead me astray
Maybe I’ll unwrite some wrongs
I charged the battery again
Combinations ’cause my passcode had changed
Opened up and saw familiar names
Now I wonder where they’ve gone
[Chorus]
Conversations with my dead friends
Messages from all my exes
I kinda think that this was best left
In the past where it belongs
I feel an overwhelming sadness
Of all the friends I do not have left
Seeing how my family has fractured
Growin’ up and movin’ on
[Verse 2]
I found my old phone today
Arguments that I tried to keep at bay
The ones who loved me, I just pushed them away
Couldn’t tell the difference from the leeches
My closed hand still holds some mates
But if I’m open, it gets smaller day by day
I can’t tell if it is pleasure or pain
Trying to keep within my remit
[Chorus]
Conversations with my dead friends
Messages from all my exes
I kinda think that this was best left
There in the past where it belongs
I feel an overwhelming sadness
Of all the friends I do not have left
Seeing how my family has fractured
Growin’ up and movin’ on
[Post-Chorus]
Ooh
Ooh
Ooh
Ooh
[Bridge]
I found my old phone today
So full of love, yet so full of hate
I put it back inside there from whence it came
Nothing good will come from regretting
[Chorus]
Conversations with my dead friends
Messages from all my exes
I kinda think that this was best left
There in the past where it belongs
I feel an overwhelming sadness
Of all the friends I do not have left
Seeing how my family has fractured
Growin’ up and movin’ on
[Outro]
I found my old phone today
