• Record Label: Atlantic
  • Release Date: Oct 29, 2021
User Score
5.6

Mixed or average reviews- based on 273 Ratings

User score distribution:
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  1. Oct 29, 2021
    3
    Acabo de escuchar el Álbum, se Siente la Misma Vibra que Sus Trabajos Anteriores, Lo único rescatable del Álbum Sería Su "Reinvención" en Bad Habits
  2. Nov 15, 2021
    3
    I honestly don't have much to say... only this: Ed Sheeran = Below average
    Why did i even bother??? It was not like i was expecting anything...
  3. Nov 19, 2021
    3
    After this album I stop listening to Ed, it's okay to maintain his music style. But this one?

    like pitchfork said, He’s settled into the comfort zone of songs that will haunt weddings for years to come. Kinda disappointed.
  4. May 21, 2023
    3
    Sabemos que esse é o estilo do Ed mas convenhamos, já saturou. A essa altura toda música dele soa com alguma já feita antes. Está precisando se arriscar e se reinventar
  5. Oct 29, 2021
    2
    I had high hopes for the album after Bad Habits. Nope. Another lazy, boring album from Ed and one decent song (being Bad Habits). Next.
  6. Nov 11, 2021
    2
    why is he still doing this? it's not that his old music is bad, it just that it was never something that needed to be replicated, and yet here it is. for the third time.
  7. Nov 4, 2021
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Bad, always the same sounds and style. He should taste new generes and give better music Expand
  8. Oct 29, 2021
    2
    Not very good, just very exhausting, boring, and old. It doesn’t intrigue me, its just like any other album of his.
  9. Oct 29, 2021
    2
    This has to be one of the blandest albums ever. There is absolutely nothing special about this album. Vocals? Bland as anything (but listenable). Lyrics? Boring and lacking depth. Production? Mediocre at best. It's just so boring.
  10. Oct 30, 2021
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The Only Songs that really catched me were First Times and The Joker And The Queen. The rest kind of is what we always here from Ed. It's simple as always. It's like Divide. At most times I knew were the song was going just from listening the beginning. I really recommend "First Times" and "The Joker And The Queen" but that's it. 2 from 14 tracks. That's not much. And i would't even say these song were superior good. The second half was way more boring than the first. We have songs like "Collide", "2step", "Stop The Rain" and "Love In Slow Motion" which feel the same. The Opener "Tides" didn't got me at all. It had a loud start, had a quiet drop and than it got loud again. Hasn't there been an opening song with a similar concept this year? I think so... The closing track was a real missfit. Didn't really felt like it was over. I didn't really expect something new from Ed because since Bad Habits was the first single I was like, here we go again. Sorry Mr. Sheeran but you have to change your concepts a bit. Like all these female artists, doing it almost every album. Thank U Expand
  11. Oct 30, 2021
    2
    his music doesn't feel authentic anymore, to be fair there are 1 or 2 tracks that stands out, but overall, i tried my best to enjoy the album but sadly i cant, chart driven album, it doesnt have any appeal, instead of evolving in every era, he devolves tragically.
  12. Nov 8, 2021
    1
    It's a wonder Sheeran has reached the heights he has when he puts out dull, pedestrian 'music' like this.

    As someone else remarked, he makes music for people that don't like {or at least appreciate} music.
  13. Oct 29, 2021
    1
    Ed Sheeran seems to get progressively less interesting and more dumbed down with every album he releases. Feels like an album made for people that don't like music.
  14. Oct 30, 2021
    1
    The best that can be said about Equals is that it is inoffensive. Absolutely nothing on the album is memorable or bears a second listen. Dreadful.
  15. Oct 30, 2021
    1
    Equals is remarkable only in that is sets a new standard for musical blandness. Totally forgettable from beginning to end.
  16. Oct 29, 2021
    1
    If ed sheeran is anything he is consistent. From his lovable good guy persona that feels very real to the ballads that rule wedding soundtracks. At that he hasn't failed. His songs fall into place predictably and the songs are easily digestible with acoustic guitars sharing 90% of the presence. But with this return to form are the same faults of before .

    His songwriting although direct
    If ed sheeran is anything he is consistent. From his lovable good guy persona that feels very real to the ballads that rule wedding soundtracks. At that he hasn't failed. His songs fall into place predictably and the songs are easily digestible with acoustic guitars sharing 90% of the presence. But with this return to form are the same faults of before .

    His songwriting although direct is terribly clichéd to a point of trolling. The nostalgic "first times" feels like a "+" outtake with better profuction and the unintentionally insincere "visiting hours" does so little with it's themes it might as well be a John Green book. And unfortunately those are the few highlights. The perfectly skippable "love in slow motion " is the "thinking out loud " sequel nobody (apart from his label) asked for.

    I will admit the record did disprove my fears of this being ed sheeran's poor man "After Hours" era after the historically disappointing "Bad Habit".

    "Shivers" is a higlight in a dark room. It has a gripping hook supported by a chorus only Ed could deliver. Also the conclusive "Be Right Now" ties the album together really well.

    This album is in no way a failure,it will definitely dominate charts and satisfy fans,but as one myself who also expects any form of growth in a musician's discography i remain disappointed. The ingenuity of "Don't " or experiments of "Gallway Girl" are forgotten answers to a test that i wish could just be filled in. The opening "Tides" doesn't try to be impressive but tells us as many other times on the record, "that im a father now". Even all his realisations and thoughts feel bored and dated. Is an intriguing moment possible? Not according to the cringefest that is " the joker &the queen" isn't worth describing. Just when you feel it couldn't get worse "sandman" tries to lull a baby to sleep but does so to the listener brave enough not to skip ,instead (based on the childlike xylophones alone ).

    This album arouses the same satisfaction "Lover" provided after the compelling "reputation ",leaving you wondering "umm...wtf ".

    I tried. I really did but you can add all the glitter and roses and gold to a wet pool of warm diahorreah and it will still be a **** . This is form four listens. The record could grow on me but currently i am disappointed. A 10/10 would not ~recommend~ touch with a 10ft pole.
    Expand
  17. Oct 29, 2021
    1
    So +(plus ) is his best that's all i can say this is just ok! Nothing exciting
  18. Oct 29, 2021
    1
    Still the same. Still boring. I couldn't get through the whole record although I tried. Endless clichè
  19. Jan 6, 2022
    1
    Instrumentally, it sounds not only outdated and awfully outside of Ed’s brand, but it’s also embarrassingly empty and kitsch. On =, Ed tries to open up about his recent experiences, mainly about his family life and big ego. Sadly, it doesn’t work out for him at the end. Before, it used to be cute and magical, but now it’s just tragical.
  20. Oct 29, 2021
    1
    Two or three good/okay songs, the rest is uninteresting. Ed comes back after such a long time and still does the same old thing. Boring and unoriginal. Dude even tried to ride The Weeknd's 80s wave with two or three songs and proved why Abel is superior. There are artists that do what he does but 10x better.
  21. Oct 30, 2021
    1
    The album has 2 or 3 songs that are the best, yet the whole project in general has not shown sound and musical evolution compared to the previous Ed Sheeran albums like '+' and '÷', which have something in common: a basic production with generic sounds that we had already heard from previous projects by other artists, something that I think Ed tried to imitate, but this time the formulaThe album has 2 or 3 songs that are the best, yet the whole project in general has not shown sound and musical evolution compared to the previous Ed Sheeran albums like '+' and '÷', which have something in common: a basic production with generic sounds that we had already heard from previous projects by other artists, something that I think Ed tried to imitate, but this time the formula did not work for him, it is a completely mediocre album. Expand
  22. Oct 31, 2021
    1
    His worst album ever. I’m so disappointed and mad about this. Everything sounds worse than his other albums and you can tell he doesn’t care anymore
  23. Nov 3, 2021
    0
    Music for grocery stores. This album is bland to the point of offensiveness. If you like this, then you you don't like music.
  24. Nov 2, 2021
    0
    Absolute garbage................................................................
  25. Oct 30, 2021
    0
    totalmente sem graça, esses últimos lançamentos dele estão ficando pior com o tempo.
  26. Oct 30, 2021
    0
    his music is not special anymore, he is playing for the charts and trying to make hit songs
  27. Oct 30, 2021
    0
    Com melodias e letras que beiram ao tédio, o "artista" Ed Sheeran entrega mais um trabalho medíocre digno de pena.
    Os 5 fãs; que já não esperavam muito, considerando seu histórico; terão que fingir muito.
  28. Oct 29, 2021
    0
    This is Ed Sheeran on cruise control. He has become the Jimmy Fallon of pop music. Sheeran's shtick is now a well-practiced formula with almost no risk or interesting new ideas. It's just rinse and repeat.
  29. Oct 31, 2021
    0
    Underwhelming album. The past 2 albums have been such a letdown after the fantastic 'divide' album.
Metascore
59

Mixed or average reviews - based on 13 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 13
  2. Negative: 1 out of 13
  1. Dec 16, 2021
    60
    If you’re a fan, you’ll still be a fan and if you’re not, you still won’t be.
  2. Nov 4, 2021
    70
    Here, Sheeran's melodies are soft yet insistent, and the production glistens with flair borrowed from younger, hipper artists who mine a similar blend of retro new wave and modern R&B, but he knows how to turn this stylish sound into something cozy and reassuring.
  3. Nov 2, 2021
    36
    He’s settled into the comfort zone of songs that will haunt weddings for years to come, like “2step,” in which he raps about “Two-steppin’ with the woman I love.” Even at his most passionate, Sheeran sounds as threatening as a meringue peak. ... Sheeran’s reliance on clichés is especially unfortunate during the album’s back half, which is where he placed a majority of the songs about death and fatherhood.