Review: Ed Sheeran’s ‘Autumn Variations’ Is Surprisingly Stunning

Autumn Variations might be the first Ed Sheeran project when lyrics take up so little weight. The pumpkin-spaced soundtrack is soaked in Autumn’s resourcefulness, filled with flavors that return to the simplest truth of life — that each moment deserves to be heard.

Tuning into the magic of the seasonal changes. Autumn Variations is a kaleidoscopic collection of fall imageries in different part of the world. Some places remain fierce and intense; some places already see snowflakes falling down; and some places feel like a rebirth. And all these different flavors are conveyed through earthy instrumentals.

Put it in the background while you pull out of the driveway and soak it in, let the mood uplift you.

Ed Sheeran billed this album as a no-pressure fun bonus this year, specially made for fans and released through his own Gingerbread Man Records. The echoes of Sheeran’s own brand of hooks are still there, but much less intense than Subtract earlier this year. Released back to back, but grief and loss has traveled to a new palette of color in Autumn Variation.

Autumn Variations is a record that doesn’t take much effort to break into. Something just instantly clicks. The sounds and paces work so well in the gentle shade and cooling breeze of an autumn morning. As the pace picks up, it becomes an exhilaration until the album reaches the climax in“Midnight” — it almost feels too fast, but “Spring” falls back to the safe ground, tasting like snowflakes with the innocence of a new life. From “Punchline” through “The Day I Was Born,” Sheeran assembled a luxurious full band sound, swinging loaded melodies. Like a Christmas celebration, the last bit of the album is concentrated compare to the casualty of the first half.

It’s interesting how a fall record would genuinely work perfectly through winter and spring, but that’s the beauty of this record. It lifts up seasonal elements and transfers them into little bulbs of sounds. Unlike Sheeran’s previous record, this is not a record demanding much attention or tension to be at the forefront. It’s meant to be a soundtrack for the brilliant fall, and for this purpose, it’s perfect.

Autumn Variations is that moment in life when you stop and smell the roses.