Ed Sheeran's new album 'PLAY' has a release date

Ed Sheeran recently said in an interview that his new album, PLAY, wouldn't be out until the fall, and he wasn't lying: It'll arrive Sept. 12 and is available to presave or preorder now.

In a statement on Instagram, Ed said, "Play was an album that was made as a direct response to the darkest period of my life. Coming out of all of that I just wanted to create joy and technicolor, and explore cultures in the countries I was touring."

Ed said that while making the record "all over the world," he had "some of the most fun, explorative creative days of my life." He describes the album as "a real rollercoaster of emotions from start to finish" and notes that it "encapsulates everything that I love about music, and the fun in it, but also where I am in life as a human, a partner, a father."

Ed also noted that he decided he wanted the promotional campaign to be "fun and playful," which is why he's been doing things like building pubs, and performing on the street and on buses. He explained, "The older I get the more I just want to enjoy things, and savor the moments that are mad and chaotic."

"Old Phone," our second taste of PLAY following "Azizam," is out now.

You can hear snippets of some of the songs in a trailer for the album that's also posted on Instagram.

Here's the track list for PLAY:
"Opening"
"Sapphire"
"Azizam"
"Old Phone"
"Symmetry"
"Camera"
"In Other Words"
"A Little More"
"Slowly"
"Don't Look Down"
"The Vow"
"For Always"
"Heaven"