Sound check: A snap review of new music

Ed Sheeran

After his 2019 hiatus from music and social media to "go out and see some more of the world", subsequent wedding to his childhood buddy, becoming a father, and recreating with Courteney Cox the popular dance from Friends, where he was "obviously better than Ross", Ed Sheeran returns to what he does best - creating music.
Sheeran appears to have encashed on the downtime to return with music that is evidently telling of his evolution. Bad habits, his second single since 2019, checks all the boxes associated with commercial fare.

Notably distinct from his past creations, the track on compulsive hedonism is significantly bolder than his past creations, as far as the lyrics are concerned. Even then, he teases with playful tunes that are synonymous with his offerings, and ones that warrant a second (and a third, and fourth) listen.
That Sheeran is in no mood to abide by the regular fare is noticeable even in the video, as he dons the avatar of a vampire - a far cry from the subdued parts he's played in his videos, so far.

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