Ed Sheeran’s ‘Subtract’ Soars to No. 1 In Australia

Nothing and no one can stop Ed Sheeran from reigning over the Australian albums chart with – (subtract via Atlantic/Warner).

The English singer and songwriter sprints to No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart, published May 12, for a perfect six-from-six leaders in these parts.

The chart summit is a familiar place for Sheeran. In his career to date, he has logged a total of 43 weeks at No. 1.

The final album in Sheeran’s mathematics-themed collection, subtract follows + (plus) in 2012, X (multiply) in 2014, ÷ (divide) in 2017, No. 6 Collaborations Project in 2019, and = (equals) in 2019 by going all the way to the top.

Sheeran has a seemingly unbreakable bond with Australia. When his – = ÷ x Tour (pronounced The Mathematics Tour) passed through earlier in the year, the Brit established multiple records. With 105,000 tickets sold for a concert at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, he set the new mark for attendance at a ticketed concert. He shattered his own record the following night, with 109,500 tickets sold.

The “Shape of You” singer also holds the all-time record for tickets sold on a single tour, set when his 2018 Divide tour, produced by Frontier Touring, passed the one million milestone for the first time.

Meanwhile, homegrown indie band Pacific Avenue flourishes with Flowers (BMG/ADA), the Gerringong four-piece’s full length debut LP, new at No. 3.

Rapper Big Twisty (real name: Dom Littrich) says a top 3 start “is probably the most surreal feeling we have felt yet since starting Pacific Avenue in 2017. I remember growing up and hearing about top 10 ARIA albums and seeing all of my idols named among the list.”

Following a lap of the country for the World Is A Vampire festival with Jane’s Addiction, Amyl & The Sniffers, and others, the Smashing Pumpkins debut at No. 5 with ATUM (Orchard), the final part of a rock trilogy.

Further down the list, Australian country artist Brad Cox bows at No. 7 with Acres (Sony), his third album. That’s a new peak and a first-ever top 10 appearance for Cox, besting the No. 12 peak for 2020’s My Mind’s Projection.

Over on the ARIA Singles Chart, Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” (Republic/Universal) locks up a fifth consecutive week at No. 1.

With subtract dominating the albums chart, a string of tracks from it, and earlier Sheeran works, impact the singles survey. “Eyes Closed,” the first release from the new LP, lifts 21-7, while “Curtains” opens at No. 24 — the highest debut on the latest frame. That’s Sheeran’s 66th appearance in the top 100, ARIA reports.

Elsewhere, “Shivers” improves 24-22, “Bad Habits” gains 46-40, “Boat” rides up the chart 99-48, 2017’s “Perfect” lifts 60-55, 2014’s “Thinking Out Loud” reenters at No. 79, and his monster hit from 2017 “Shape Of You” returns at No. 81.