Shawn Mendes Finds His Heart, His Freedom, and His Voice in Shawn
From the first notes of the first song, Shawn Mendes’s fifth studio album, Shawn, is refreshing, freeing, and well worth the four years it took for it to see the light of day.
The thing about the record that is most striking is the tangibility of the emotion laced throughout. The intro track, Who I Am, sees Mendes flipping through his past regrets, simply stating “I don’t really know who I am right now” and he even references the moment most fans knew he was struggling with his fame and artistry: “It broke my heart when I cancelled tour.”
Released as the first taste of Shawn back in August, the upbeat acoustic track Why Why Why sees Mendes emerging from the pains of the past, content with the unknown and the journey he has experienced, to bring himself back to where he is now. Somehow both turbulent and exuberant, Why Why Why is everything this album is – reminiscent of his roots while also grounding itself somewhere deeper than his past music has. When ranked against past Mendes singles like Stitches, If I Can’t Have You, and Treat You Better, Why Why Why should have dominated the charts – it is just that good.
What Shawn has that has been absent from Mendes’s previous work is the lack of fear to face even the harshest of emotions. Heavy and Heart of Gold touch upon grief, loss, and regret in a truly powerful way. In the latter, he sings: “Honestly/It’s been a while since I thought of you/In the end, we didn’t talk much/I didn’t know what you were going through.” From their multidimensional harmonies, resounding instrumentals, and lyrical rawness, these tracks turn a page into a new version of Shawn Mendes.
Even the songs that spin the inner musings of Mendes’s growth back to the spotlight are soul-baring, with That’s The Dream being a whimsical spin through his dreams for the future and Nobody Knows being a resounding plea for a moment to live in the nostalgia of the past when fearing for the future. These tracks pull from the sonic inspirations of artists like John Mayer and Niall Horan, both of whom Mendes has acknowledged as influential figures in the creation of Shawn.
Perhaps best listened to in a snow-covered cabin in solitude, hidden amidst an evergreen forest, tracks like Isn’t That Enough and its interpolation In Between are innately human, as Mendes sings soft lines like “My hand’s still shakin’, my mind’s still racin’ My heart’s still breakin’ in two” and “You were saying, ‘Guess I’ll see you never,’ with tears in your eyes/It’s so like you to get clever when you don’t wanna cry.”
A cover of Hallelujah is the culmination of Shawn, where Mendes lets his unparalleled vocal talent, and deep gratitude for the battle that he has endured to rediscover his place as an artist, carry him seamlessly through the recording. Shawn has allowed Mendes the opportunity to embrace the softer side of his artistry, holding on to the lightness and satisfying acoustic-pop of his roots while grounding himself deeper in his emotions, experimenting with folk-rock, and transforming into a version of himself that will carry his career into its next chapter.
Standout tracks: Who I Am, Nobody Knows and Heart of Gold
My favourites: Why Why Why, Heavy and In Between
