It's been over a year since Ed Sheeran [1] released No. 6 Collaborations Project, and now he's back with a brand-new single just in time for the holidays. The acoustic track, titled "Afterglow," reminds us of early era Sheeran, where it was just him and a guitar. Even the accompanying music video, which dropped along with the song, is simple and sweet, a sentiment he shared in an Instagram post about the song [2]. "Hey guys. 'Afterglow' is a song I wrote last year that I wanted to release for you," Sheeran wrote. "It's not the first single from the next album, it's just a song I love, and hope you love too. Enjoy! Have a safe and happy festive break and New Year's. Back to dad land for me now, ciao x [3]."

Sheeran has been in full "dad land" mode [4] since he and wife Cherry Seaborn welcomed their daughter back in September [5], going quiet on socials save for the announcement in September and the teaser for "Afterglow" on Dec. 20 [6]. As for the song, we love it and can already imagine listening to it while wistfully staring out the window as the holidays wind down. You can experience the song for yourself in the full video above.