“Shawn” takes Mendes back to his roots – The Appalachian

In his new album, Shawn Mendes explores a “difficult” Narrative about mental health, self-discovery and the struggle with fame.

Following its delayed release, Mendes’ fifth studio album, Shawn, became available to fans on November 15th. In October, Mendes announced the nearly month-long delay on social media platform X.

“We just need a little more time to bring new inspiration and ideas to life.” read the post.

His fourth studio album “Wonder” was released at the end of 2020, making the almost four-year wait between albums the longest of his career.

Since canceling part of Wonder: The World Tour in 2022, Mendes has spoken openly about his struggle with mental health and his need to make it a priority.

“I started this tour excited to finally be able to play live again after a long break due to the pandemic,” Mendes wrote in Cancellation announcement on Instagram. “But the reality is that I was completely unprepared for how difficult touring would be after this absence.”

The album’s first track, “Who I Am,” directly addresses Mendes’ feelings about the cancellation.

“And it broke my heart when I canceled the tour / My soul and my head went back and forth,” Mendes sings in verse three. “And I don’t know how to face you now / Sorry, I have to, I have to let you down.”

The lyrics of the song suggest that while Mendes expressed his need for a break, it was not easy for him to make the decision to disappoint his fans. In the same song, Mendes also talks about feeling like he’s lost touch with who he is and how he needed this time off to figure it out.

“But I know I gotta do it, I gotta put myself first/Lose myself and make you proud.”

Opening track “Who I Am” sets the tone for the album as an artistic representation of Mendes’ absence and mental health journey.

Mendes alludes to his difficulties returning to the spotlight in the album’s second track, “Why Why Why,” singing, “I walked off the stage with nothing left / All the lights were f—-in’ with my head / But.” here.” I’m singing songs again.

With these two songs at the start of the tracklist, Mendes establishes the album’s more acoustic feel, a stark contrast to the synth-heavy pop sounds of “Wonder”.

The stripped-down instrumentals featured in all 12 tracks are more reminiscent of his first two albums, “Handwritten” and “Illuminate.” By returning to an acoustic sound, the singer-songwriter returns to his roots, just as he claimed in the opening track.

Additionally, tracks like “That’ll Be the Day” and “Isn’t That Enough” lean more toward the country and folk side of acoustic pop than Mendes has previously explored. “Isn’t That Enough,” track five, features a harmonica, adding to the slight country effect.

Mendes uses track seven, “Heavy,” to begin the second half of the album with a soulful confession of running away from his problems but ultimately being ready to face them.

“You stood firm and helped me get through. Now I’m finally ready to let you.”

Placing “Heavy” in the middle of the track list helps convey a turning point in the singer’s development and improvement in mental health without trivializing the severity of his struggles.

The album’s light country sound also appears in track eight, “That’ll Be the Day”, which features the singer’s lower range and a banjo-like fingerpicking style. The track also features layered vocals, adding to the haunting feel of the song, and mentions of death.

In track ten, “The Mountain,” Mendes returns to the theme of fame, with a more positive outlook compared to the first half of the album. Throughout the song, Mendes makes general statements about the audience’s perception of him, but ultimately implies that their comment does not matter.

“You can say I like girls or boys / Whatever suits you,” he sings in the final chorus. “But I’ve never felt better / So call it what you want.”

Mendes closes the album with an intimate and vulnerable cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” rounding out an earlier mention of God in “The Mountain.”

“And you can say it was drugs / You can say it was God,” Mendes sings in the first chorus. “But I saw something out there / So call it what you will.”

The album’s conclusion with Cohen’s famous song leaves the listener with a calm and reflective feeling, suggesting that Mendes’ mental health journey has brought him peace. The addition of string instruments to support Mendes’ layered vocals adds to the sense of serenity.

Cohen and Mendes share the same Canadian citizenship, so the decision to include the cover feels like a tribute to the singer’s birthplace and a fitting place to end “Shawn’s Tale.”