- (Subtract)
by Ed Sheeran
  • Record Label: Atlantic
  • Release Date: May 5, 2023
User Score
6.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 79 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 47 out of 79
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 79
  3. Negative: 24 out of 79
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Awards & Rankings

15
#15 Most Discussed Album of 2023

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
65

Generally favorable reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 14
  3. Negative: 2 out of 14
  1. Slant Magazine
    May 10, 2023
    30
    No matter how much aesthetic cosplay Sheeran is willing to engage in, though, he’s still pumping out the same cheese-filled anthems that have plagued his previous albums.
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  2. AllMusic
    May 10, 2023
    60
    Sheeran is naturally a laid-back performer, the pair fit almost a little bit too neatly: where certain hooks and melodic refrains would've been pushed into the spotlight on previous Sheeran albums, they're lying in the background here. That tender touch when combined with a preponderance of ballads turns - (subtract) into a curiously recessive album: its emotions are raw, yet its execution is reserved.
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  3. Pitchfork
    May 10, 2023
    38
    -, pronounced “subtract,” which responds to them much like its predecessor, 2021’s =, did to its themes of turning 30 and becoming a parent: with the usual beige palette, generic hooks, and vapid lyrics. The songs on - are almost uniformly dour, often slow, occasionally drumless.
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