The exquisite album “Autumn Variations” is the most recent release from renowned British musician Ed Sheeran. This album came out on Sept 29 to a mild amount of excitement from fans. In fact, I had never heard about this album before it came out. There was a decent amount of chatter surrounding the relatively upbeat album that was themed more around late summer through the beats that bring less nostalgia and more a more energetic vibe that fans of AJR, who are a higher energy with a similar beat, would appreciate more than the majority of his songs. This album boasts lyrics that put your head in the clouds with slow build ups that leave you soaring. The songs in the album includes masterpieces such as “Spring,” “When Will I Be Alright,” “Amazing,” “Midnight,” “England,” “Head > Heels,” “Magical,” “Blue,” “Page,” “American Town,” “Plastic Bag,” “The Day I Was Born,” “Punchline,” and “That’s on Me.”
The usual beats of nostalgia are still there right next to the sappy love song undertones that are ever present and bring about feelings of bittersweet memory even if you have not lived long enough to experience life on the level of heartbreak and love. Even though you will break down into an emotional mess after listening to much of his music, it is quite upbeat compared to most of his other beats. It focuses more on the notes with higher pitches and tones that inspire carpe diem and leave you with a brighter outlook on life than before you started. It is almost whimsical in nature with straight beats that evolve into twists and turns.
The lyrics are all very similar to most other singles and albums he has released with a few key changes. The first of these differences is the more homebound with hints of depression within his music compared to the more lovesick and lonelier tempo of his earlier songs. Those never quite made it with me or anyone else I know. The second is the use of beat drops that enhance the rising attitude and pace throughout the entire song.
Overall, this is one of the better albums produced by Ed Sheeran with tones of upbeat homeward bound adventure with motifs of inspiration and insightfulness that has not yet been achieved by his other albums or singles. I would recommend listening to it as it is free on Spotify.
