“So full of love, yet so full of hate.”

The human experience, especially our emotions and relationships, are full of contradictions, just as Ed Sheeran sings. In his most recent album, “Play,” he captures that feeling perfectly.

In September, Sheeran announced the release of “Play” on Instagram and hinted that there was “more to come.” As promised, the pop star released a deluxe version of the album on Nov. 28, complete with fourteen new songs.

The album begins with the aptly-titled “Opening,” a soft melody about making it through darkness to better times, singing “I spent weeks inside the darkest cage / But now the day bursts wild and open.” Sheeran reflects on many of these dark challenges, with lyrics like “I have cried tears at my brother’s grave,” referencing the death of his close friend, Jamal Edwards, and “I have shaken hands with my wife’s surgeon,” looking back at his wife’s diagnosis with a tumor during her second pregnancy.

This sets the tone for the rest of the album, which takes listeners through the emotional ups and downs of relationships, from the bitter nostalgia of friends and lovers past in “Old Phone” to more optimistic tunes like “Sapphire.”

“Old Phone” is an especially notable song, in which Sheeran describes finding his old phone and discovers old messages between him and friends he’s no longer in contact with. He sings that he pushed these people away and mentions “arguments that I tried to keep at bay.” Those lyrics seem to connect to “Skeletons,” where he sings of an inevitable argument but begs a lover to “put it off till the mornin’.” However, “Old Phone” may suggest this strategy was unsuccessful for him. It may also explain why he wants to delay an argument — he knows the relationship will not survive it.

While most of the album captures these emotions in a catchy way, some songs leave something to be desired — in particular, the lyricism in “A Little More” feels bland. In the chorus, Sheeran sings, “I used to love you / now every day, I hate you just a little more.” Though the topic of love turned sour is a good choice, there’s nothing particularly poetic about the lyrics of the chorus. The verses, however, are more creative, with lines like, “I was there to lean on when I was a kid / But now that I’m an adult, I see it for what it is.” These lyrics seem to explain shedding naivete and refusing to be taken advantage of, which Sheeran elaborates on later in the song. This and the music itself, which has a catchy beat and melody, almost make up for the uninspired chorus.

Despite some disappointing lyrics in the chorus of “A Little More,” Sheeran finishes the album strong with the song “I Don’t Wanna Go To Bed.” It’s one of the shorter tracks on the album at just two minutes and 15 seconds, but Sheeran makes the most of every beat. Like the title suggests, he sings “I don’t wanna go to bed,” followed by “Don’t let this be over yet / This is how it all begins / I hope you know if I fall, you’re comin’ with.” With these lyrics, Sheeran gently pleads for an initial connection to not end with a one-night stand but to result in both parties falling in love. This song is a fitting end to the album, as it expresses a desire for love and connection, but acknowledges his fear that it could end too soon, like many of the other relationships he sings about.

Overall, “Play” conveys the turbulent and contradictory nature of love and loss through catchy and enjoyable songs. Despite some moments of weak lyricism, especially when compared with other hits from the very same album, the strong start and finish of “Play” holds it together and makes the album a success.