Ed Sheeran is back with his first new song in over two years. “I Don’t Care” featuring Justin Bieber was produced by Max Martin, Shellback and FRED, who also share writing credits on the song with Bieber and longtime collaborator Jason “Poo Bear” Boyd.
In the tradition of the rhythmic pop that has become a staple of both Sheeran’s and Bieber’s sound, the track’s beat comes courtesy of an acoustic snare that paces the vocals in almost a flittering fashion. In fact, the singers’ two voices meld together so seamlessly that it’s at times hard to make out who’s singing which verse. Ditto for the undeniable “ooh oohs” that bookend the chorus.
Lyrically, the song extols the comfort of a long-term relationship — a status update both Sheeran and Bieber can confidently claim — where a bad party won’t drag you down and neither will “crippling anxiety” brought on by unnamed “people.”
Hand claps punctuate a breakdown towards the end, which leads into the song’s loving refrain, “I don’t care / I can deal with the bad nights / When I’m with my baby, yeah.”
It’s not the first time Sheeran and Bieber have teamed up musically: the 2015 Bieber hit “Love Yourself,” from his “Purpose” album, was co-written by Sheeran.
The song is presumably from a forthcoming release, although the art from Sheeran’s 2017 release “Divide” remains affixed to his social media handles and YouTube page, where the lyric video for “I Don’t Care” (watch it below) logged 300,000 views within 40 minutes.