Ed Sheeran officially entered the race for song of the summer with his dark and moody single, “Bad Habits,” which dropped Friday at midnight.

The song, which features the British singer’s signature lilting falsetto and emotionally charged lyrics, documents Sheeran’s struggle to overcome his vices that always lead to him feeling remorse.

“My bad habits lead to late nights, endin’ alone/ Conversations with a stranger I barely know/ Swearin’ this will be the last but it probably won’t/ I got nothin’ left to lose, or use, or do,” Sheeran, 30, laments in the chorus, which ends with the lyrics “Nothin’ happens after two, it’s true, it’s true/ My bad habits lead to you.”

As for the music itself, it features a club-like dance beat paired with a melancholy bass riff.  Overall, the tone exudes a lonely feel but, despite that, “Bad Habits” is incredibly catchy.

The single’s accompanying music video is certainly a trip, as it features a slightly blonder and bright-blue eyed Sheeran as a glam vampire in a pink tuxedo.

The video shows Sheeran gathering with his vampire friends, who pounce on a mass of panicked humans on the street.  The chaos intensifies when the Grammy winner unleashes his telekinetic powers and crushes a car being driven by his human doppelgänger.

The feeding frenzy only subsides after the sun rises, which forces the vampires to retreat or burn up in the light.  However, Sheeran bathes himself in the sun’s rays and transforms back into a human, red hair and all.

“Bad Habits” is Ed’s first official release since his December 2020 single “Afterglow.”  The track is rumored to be the first single off of his upcoming yet currently untitled fifth studio album.

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