Before Ed Sheeran was signed in 2011 to Asylum Records, he made an EP called No.5 Collaborations Project with Wiley, Devlin, P Money, Ghetts and Jme — no small names in grime. Now, 8 years later, he’s followed it up with No.6 Collaborations Project and way bigger friends. The new album out today features the likes Stormzy, Camila Cabello, Cardi B, Justin Bieber, Eminem & 50 Cent, and more.
For our purposes, we’re going to focus on the Skrillex collaboration, “Way To Break My Heart,” for a moment. If Skrillex didn’t have his name on the track, you’d hardly know he had any part in this collaboration. Yes, it’s “feat Skrillex” with Sheeran putting his mark primarily on the record, but it’s unlike Skrillex to take such a huge backseat on a track.
If I had to hypothesize what Skrillex’s part in the track was, the chorus/drop is a pretty good place to start. The percussion is just synthesized enough to sort glean the producer’s influence, but it could have easily been anyone else with a sample pack at the end the day. It would have been nice to have some Skrillex backing guitar, some vocal chops, or even Sonny’s own voice on the record. Alas, as a collaboration, it falls short expectation.
As for the rest the album, reviews range between “inspired” to “cringeworthy, dull and insincere.” Ultimately it’s up to you to make that determination for yourself. Listen to the full album below.