“This album is about letting go of, and remembering who I am,” Shawn Mendes wrote in an Instagram post shared on Nov. 15. “It’s been my own personal medicine. I hope you love it.”
A short but sweet introduction was all Shawn Mendes offered on the release day for his newest album, “Shawn,” which was initially announced on July 31.
The album comes after a two-year hiatus and marks Mendes’ return to the stage after he announced the cancellation of his “Wonder Tour” in 2022 to prioritize his mental health.
Admittedly, the marketing for this album was lackluster. Neither of the promotional singles made a significant impact on the musical charts nationally or globally.
Regardless of commercial success, this album is a very vulnerable one and moves away from the pop sound masses may be expecting from Mendes.
The album opens with “Who I Am,” the first of several raw and vulnerable songs on the 12-track album. The song focuses on Mendes’ previously discussed reasons for canceling his tour and taking a break from music.
Though he expresses a deep regret for disappointing his fans, the opening track makes it clear that taking a break was the only option he had considering how much he was struggling at the time.
As a whole, the album has clear folk influences, especially on “Isn’t That Enough” and “Heavy.” Vocally speaking, Mendes almost strictly remains in the lower spectrum of his register, omitting the high notes fans know and love.
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Despite low-level marketing and a lack of significant commercial success, this album provided Mendes with the perfect outlet to bare his soul to the world, despite the amount of criticism and public judgment he has faced over the years.
All of the songs are in the same vein: stripped down, emotional, and on the slow side. The biggest critique, though, definitely stems from the length of the album. Mendes’ albums have never been notable with their length, with most of them barely reaching 50 minutes.
This newest album, though, sets Mendes’ record for the shortest body of work in his discography, falling at an even 30 minutes. After such a considerable break and Mendes detailing just how important this album was for his mental health, it is not unreasonable to expect a longer album to mark Mendes’ return to the industry.
He makes up for it, though, through his “For Friends & Family” live concert film, which was announced in October and released the day before the album, on Nov. 14.
At the end of the day, lack of marketing, album length, and commercial success notwithstanding, this album is beautifully crafted and a notable switch from Mendes’ usual sound, and it allows fans to see a much softer side of him.