[6] On 20 December 2020, after having taken an extended hiatus from public life, Sheeran returned to social media to announce his new single: "Hey guys.

[7] The cover art depicts an original piece of action painting created by Sheeran himself.

Billboard's Gil Kaufmann described the song as a "spare acoustic ballad" that features a "haunting chorus".

[8] Zoe Haylock of Vulture compared the song to Taylor Swift's latest surprise releases, saying he "took a page out of Taylor Swift's book and surprised fans with a new single" and went on to describe the track as one of his "acoustic bangers".

[3] Morgan Hines of USA Today thought the song, accompanied by a "mellow melody", "exudes a feeling of intimacy during an emotional time between loved ones".