Multi-talented singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes has strayed away from making music for quite some time since releasing his last album, Wonder, in December of 2020. However, earlier this year, Mendes posted on social media about being back in the studio for the first time in four years. Mendes’s break from music resulted in a beautifully passionate new album, Shawn, that was released on Nov. 15, 2024.
After growing a following rather fast after the release of his first album in 2015, Mendes has maintained a steady following throughout the years. In just five years he released four albums, including Handwritten, and continued to cultivate a large following. Nevertheless, some fans have steered away from Mendes’s music in the last few years due to his hiatus after cancelling his two year tour with over 80 dates scheduled. However, fans have recently been pulled back in after he released his first two singles off of Shawn, “Why Why Why” and “Isn’t That Enough”, in early August.
Those first two singles had returning fans and even new fans eager about the release of a new album. The last single before he announced the release date was “Nobody Knows” in early September, which teased fans even more on what was to come. After finally dropping the release date for the album on Nov. 1 and simultaneously releasing the final single, “Heart of Gold”, Mendes’s first album in almost four years was just out of reach.
Aside from the four singles released prior to the album, the song that listeners first hear when they click play on Shawn is “Who I am” which is a great way to lead into the story Mendes shares with his audience throughout the album. Opening the song with this track was a very bold move considering the rawness and emotion that juxtaposes his previous discography. However, Mendes pulls off this shift in musical style flawlessly and adds to it with only a guitar in the background which is even more powerful. The singles and opener of the album truly show how much Mendes has grown in his songwriting throughout the years with the maturity and insight that pour from his lyrics.
The sixth track and my personal favorite on the album is “Heart of Gold”. The lyricism in this track is much sadder than some others on the album but conversely has a pretty upbeat tempo. “Heart of Gold” tells the story of a childhood friend that has passed away too soon and how the grief remains long after. While the sickeningly sad lyrics are sung soulfully by Mendes, a steady drum beat in the back makes the listener want to sway and dance with the music. Mendes being able to create a beautifully lyrical song while conveying some of the most melancholic emotions, truly shows how far he has come as an artist.
Following along with Mendes’s storyline, the next track on the album, “Heavy”, can relate to many situations. After dealing with so much sorrow and grief in the previous track, Mendes is now attempting to carry his emotions the best he can. This track describes Mendes’s battle with trying to let others in but also constantly feeling the heavy weight of the things he is battling and is having trouble asking for help,
The way this song is constantly building and fluctuating in intensity might seem odd to some but it is a perfect metaphor for the way human emotions work; they are not always linear and have highs and lows. There are also many different guitar progressions that can be heard in this track that are layered over one another and blend with Mendes’s vocals to create a heavenly sound that adds to the powerfulness of the song.
Jumping farther into the album with track ten, “The Mountain”, is one of the most raw and real tracks Mendes has shared with his listeners. The song begins with beautiful guitar plucks, which are later joined by a soft hand drum-like sound, and Mendes’s soft vocals which adds to the calmness of the track. In “The Mountain” Mendes shares an epiphany he had while being surrounded by nature in a difficult frame of mind and how he came out on the other side with a new perspective. Mendes also sings about how he had to battle the public and the media’s twisted stories of him to find inner peace, “Whatever fits your mold/…/So call it what you want”. Having metaphor-filled lyrics that listeners can pick apart to conclude their own deeper meanings was a genius lyrical move.
The final track of the album is a cover of “Hallelujah” originally sung by Leonard Cohen. Even though this closing track may seem a bit out of place it actually holds a big spot in Mendes’s heart. Mendes has covered Cohen’s song many times before, starting as early as 2013 when posting a cover to his YouTube page.
Even though Mendes has sang this song many times before, he said in an interview posted on X that he had never fully understood the lyrics until recently and felt the urge to record this song for Shawn. After going through a hard time and re-defining his religion, the lyrics of “Hallelujah” resonated with him even more. However, even with all of that said the song may throw listeners off guard and is not exactly an ideal end track as Mendes has not released new music in almost four years. Listeners may be upset with the ending being a cover and not a new song, resulting in only eleven new songs from Shawn instead of twelve.
In all, this album was an amazing comeback for Mendes to candidly showcase his maturation of talent in the years he took off. Even though there were certain stand out tracks, some honorable mentions include “Why Why Why”, “Nobody Knows”, and “In Between”.
Shawn was able to flawlessly put into words Mendes’s experiences as well as simultaneously have beautiful lyricism in all his songs. This is an album that can be played over and over again and never gets boring while also letting listeners discover something new each listen, whether it be in the beat, tempo, or the lyrics.
If you loved this album check out Blonde by Frank Ocean for introspective lyrics and Everything To Everyone by Reneé Rapp for melancholic tempos.
9.5/10
