After he shocked the world with his two incredibly popular singles, “Shape of You” and “Castle on the Hill,” British singer and songwriter Ed Sheeran finally released his highly-anticipated new album, “Divide,” on March 3. The album debuted at number 1 in the United Kingdom, selling over 672,000 copies within the first week, making it the nation’s fastest-selling album by a male artist. It also topped the charts in 14 other countries, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, and Sheeran announced “Galway Girl” as his third single on his Twitter on March 17.

Sheeran announced a social media hiatus on December 13, 2015, saying that he found himself “seeing the world through a screen and not my eyes.” However, he ensured that this time off social media would be spent working on his third album, which he considered “the best thing I have made thus far.” Exactly one year after his announcement, Sheeran ended his social media hiatus, and posted pictures of a blank blue square on his various social media accounts to state his return to music. Weeks later, he announced he would release new music on January 6, and shortly after revealed the tracklist and release date for his album.

The two introductory singles Sheeran truly highlight the diversity of sound on the album. “Shape of You” is an upbeat song, focusing on new love, while “Castle on the Hill” is a slower, more nostalgic song about memories. Just these two songs are immensely different, providing an amazing preview to “Divide,” leaving fans very excited and ready to hear more.

The sheer variety of sounds on the album is amazing, ranging from Irish folk, melancholy piano, rapping, and upbeat guitar. Sheeran’s new single, “Galway Girl” surprised listeners with its uniqueness in comparison to Sheeran’s usual style, and pop music in general.

“Divide” has similar underlying meanings to Sheeran’s previous songs, such as love and heartbreak, but in his new songs Sheeran also introduced new themes. For instance, he wrote “Supermarket Flowers” to honor his deceased grandmother, and in “Eraser,” Sheeran raps about his struggles in the music industry and how he has used alcohol to erase pain.

This album truly proves to be Sheeran’s best to date. His successful incorporation of new styles and themes in his music caught fans by surprise, filling the gap in their hearts that he left a year earlier. Sheeran never leaves his fans disappointed with his new music, with each album better and more diverse than the previous ones.

Ed Sheeran has demonstrated a pattern of releasing albums every three years, so it seems that fans will have to wait some time for even more new music. However, the unique sounds and astounding themes of “Divide” show Sheeran’s true brilliance in the music industry.