Ed Sheeran was up at the crack of dawn this morning releasing not one, but two new singles.
It appears that lots of other people stayed up late/woke early with the lyric videos for 'Castle On The Hill' and 'Shape Of You' both approaching close to half a million YouTube views.
"The singles are Ed’s first releases since 2015 and showcase two very different sides to his unparalleled musical palate," reads the promotional blurb. "'Castle On The Hill', written by Ed and Benny Blanco (also on production), pays homage to growing up in Framingham, Suffolk. Driving beats and Springsteen-esque riffs collide to create another stadium-ready anthem.'Shape Of You', written by Ed, Johnny McDaid and Steve Mac (also on production), dismantles and rebuilds modern pop music using little more than a loop pedal. The record is an extension of the sound for which Ed's become so well-known and has set him apart from his peers - something he first showcased in 2010 with his pivotal SBTV live performance of 'You Need Me, I Don’t Need You', and executed on his debut EP, No.5 Collaborations Project (staring an array of grime artists including Wretch 32, Wiley + more), following in 2011."
None of which we can argue with!
“Hello 2017! I’ve been working hard on the new material and I hope you can be as excited about it as I am," Ed enthuses." I really wanted to show two different sides to my music that I’m equally as passionate about and I just knew I wanted to roll with two songs at the same time. I’m absolutely buzzing to be back. More news on the album coming very soon – but I can honestly say this is the best one I’ve written so far!"
The latter is a frisky affair with couplets like: "I'm in love with the shape of you/ We push and pull like a magnet do/ Although my heart is falling to/ I'm in love with your body/ Last night you were in my room/ And now my bed sheets smell like you."
Down tiger... As for the former, The Edge might be asking for his guitar back!
We haven't forgotten that Mr. S told us in 2015 that he'd love to play stadium shows in places like Limerick, Cork and Kilkenny, all of which have stadiums and we're sure would love to see him this summer.

Cause I’ve been away for a bit here’s two singles rather than one - Castle On The Hill & Shape Of You https://t.co/QuZMnEhS8P pic.twitter.com/VCznN8nLd4

— Ed Sheeran (@edsheeran) January 6, 2017