On December 13th 2015, the world mourned a terrible loss. On this day, Ed Sheeran announced he would be taking a break from social media. He disappeared off the face of the planet for a few months, and all that was seen of him was a selfie with a fan who found him living in the mountains.

Exactly one year after announcing his break, he returned to his social media outlets and created a blue theme. He later caused a bigger frenzy at the start of 2017 by announcing his new music, which would be released that Friday and started rumors of his third album being titled ÷ .  His two newest singles “Castle on the Hill” and “Shape of You” prove the long wait from his last album X was worth it.

Both “Castle on the Hill” and “Shape of You” differ in sound. On Sheeran’s part, the decision to release the two singles together not only creates a large hype surrounding the release of his next album, but show the diversity of music that will be present on the next album.

“Castle on the Hill” is very similar sounding to the previous releases of Ed Sheeran. The instrumentals in this song are centered around acoustics and piano. The vibe that he creates with this song is very relaxed and soothing to the listener. On top of this, the lyrics display Sheeran’s gift for telling beautiful stories through song. The entire song is extremely logistic, and the listener is able to learn about Sheeran’s background and how he grew up. Along with the story, the lyrics encourage the listener they are capable of whatever they put their mind to, despite upbringing.

The song “Shape of You” differs in atmosphere from the previous song. “Shape of You” displays a more vibrant and spirited sound of Sheeran. Sheeran goes back to his roots by using root pedal harmonies. The instrumentals, however, are more focused on an unlikely mix of electronic produced sounds and acoustic guitar. Despite the challenge of mixing the two sounds, Sheeran manages to create a catchy and put together song. The lyrics are extremely catchy, and will get drilled into your head after just one listen. The lyrics are not as emotional as “Castle on the Hill,” but this provides the listener with two different song options.

These two songs show Sheeran’s next album will not be a let down. ÷ will be released on March 3rd, and according to his new material, it could be his best yet. If I were you, I’d go pre-order the album right now, because it will be one you won’t want to miss.