“I MAY BE A HOGWARTS STUDENT” Hargirid paused angrily. “BUT I AM ALSO A SATANIST!”
[Video]
[3.70]
Elisabeth Sanders: Jesus christ, how many songs in a row can Ed Sheeran release that are just about being an introvert and how special that is? We get it Ed, you’re not like other girls.
[2]
Will Adams: There comes a point in one’s music career — say, releasing a collaborations album stacked front to back with A-list stars — where everyman posturing tips over from laughable to insulting. Over a track that’s less “Sicko Mode” than “Snivel Mode,” Sheeran elbows his way into the rap game as crudely as possible, all while maintaining that just-like-you pose. This is achieved by claiming to be “antisocial,” which hews to the recent trend of brands and their social media managers latching on to depression and anxiety as a viable marketing tool a bit too much for comfort. It creates an unforgivable dissonance; he wants to say “get back,” but he goes for “don’t touch me!” because it’s more relatable. It’s not that celebrities aren’t allowed to feel sad or anxious, or express those feelings. But twisting that into a hook for your overblown song that muddles those feelings into professions of swagger makes it feel empty.
[1]
Katherine St Asaph: “Antisocial” is a bad song. But it’s bad in the way “The Call” is bad (thinks it’s aiming for Jacksonish paranoia, actually is aiming for sexhaver badass, lands either way on dorky) or the way “Look What You Made Me Do” is bad (all of that, minus Jacksonish), not the way “Thinking Out Loud” is bad (beige oppression). Thus, it’s the most interesting Ed Sheeran has ever been. Extra point because I’m sure “The A-Team” rockists find this absolutely awful.
[6]
Tobi Tella: I’ve been begging Ed Sheeran to do something other than the generic guitar ballads for ages, so for all I can say about No. 6 Collaborations Project, it’s at least something different. This song, however, is perfectly designed in the soulless, generic mold of “Shape of You” and more recently “I Don’t Care.” It’s hard to take someone seriously who just released an album of nothing but songs with his famous friends calling themselves antisocial, but it would be a little easier if the lyrics actually delved into these feelings, rather than just nondescript lines about being upset at a party. Sometimes I think the state of popular music is looking up, and then I have to listen to Ed goddamn Sheeran talk about how he “came here just to vibe” and I want to burn my house down. The collaboration on this song is a completely checked-out Travis Scott, who is similar to Ed in that his music is generally about literally nothing, but unlike him, it bangs.
[1]
Andy Hutchins: Travis Scott spending his post-“Sicko Mode” cred on dragging everyone he collaborates with to Astroworld is a dope development. The inherent hilarity in incongruity here — someone who has dated and procreated with Kylie Jenner cannot credibly insist he’s a loner, a collaboration about loneliness is itself oxymoronic, and inexplicably dragooning Grandmaster Flash into this via sample is almost pranking him by way of a writing credit — is secondary to the instrumental, which sounds like the sort of party on a comet where Ed Sheeran and Travis might actually socialize. (It’s also a remarkable bit of producing to artist by FRED, given that Scott wasn’t behind the boards.) Sheeran’s pen, no surprise, can dip deep into the well of misanthropy where Travis dwells, and though his vanity genre safari is largely forgettable, this is competent enough to be fondly remembered as more than bizarre.
[6]
Alfred Soto: The chords bored me after three bars, and how often can he repeat that incoherent hook? Well, let’s ask the choir, hired by gunpoint.
[3]
Oliver Maier: Sheeran’s calculated approach to pop songcraft goes scarcely utilised on “Antisocial,” his clumsy verse and tossed-off chorus indicating either that he doesn’t understand that hip hop beats generally demand different kinds of melodies than his usual fare or that he just doesn’t give a shit. There’s no sign of the manic pixie dancefloor girl who usually materializes to temper his loner streak either, and thus we are subjected to the darkest recesses of Ed’s Id, which ends up painting him less as the brooding hedonist that the discount “Sicko Mode” beat suggests and more as a weapons-grade party pooper. Travis Scott is deployed to lay down the Platonic ideal of a Travis Scott feature, riding the beat more comfortably and coherently than his yelpy counterpart without improving the song’s overall prospects.
[3]
Josh Buck: “Antisocial” is a great example of the scientific method in action. It begins with the hypothesis “Travis Scott can make literally anything sound cool.” and then tests this under the extreme condition of “Even a song with Ed Sheeran.” I am sad (happy?) to report that the final product bears out the hypothesis, if only barely. Fred Gibson’s production is so rubbery that the track practically bounces off the wall, and the “don’t touch me” refrain allows Sheeran to tap into a full 1/10 of Scott’s manic energy, even if he is laughably inept at sounding tough. But Scott is the real draw, and though his bars land safely in generic radio feature territory, he doesn’t skimp on the delivery, ensuring that the track reaches just enough levels of hype that it will stay in the Friday night college pregaming rotation well into September. As a fun bonus, they’ll finally have a Travis Scott song that’s clean enough to play during parents’ weekend.
[6]
Joshua Minsoo Kim: I like how this pop version of “Sicko Mode” doesn’t veer off into multiple directions since it echoes Ed’s lyrics about wanting to be left alone to “vibe.” The “antisocial” aspect doesn’t read much like angst or bitterness or despondence. Instead, it channels the feeling of going to a club alone with zero desire to interact with others beyond their presence and energy fueling your longing to dance for hours.
[6]
Joshua Lu: It’s getting progressively more difficult to listen to Ed Sheeran insist he’s an uncool weirdo who never feels like he fits in — I think I hit my limit on “I Don’t Care” or “Beautiful People.” It’s not that I doubt Ed feels this way; everyone thinks they’re an outcast, and Ed’s public persona admittedly feels at odds with the social norms associated with pop stardom. It’s just that his approach to these kinds of songs always feels disingenuous. “Antisocial” is no different, representing his social anxiety with a lyrical scene that carefully positions Ed at a party, with a drink in his hand and a hat down low, where he doesn’t want anyone bothering him as he enjoys the nighttime. It’s peddling his introversion as a result of thinking he’s too cool for the party, when it often operates opposite for most people, and I can’t tell if he’s just out of touch or just shrewdly trying to market a party song as something #relatable. It doesn’t get better afterwards; Travis Scott spends half of his verse rapping about hitting up a girl (whom he refers to as “that thing”) in what seems to be his attempt at appearing vulnerable, but the most he can muster is that he drinks too much Hennessy. By the end of the song, I don’t feel disappointed or offended or — heaven forbid — related to. I just feel confused.
[3]