i know many people here don't take Shawn seriously or as something more than their sexual fantasy hehe and honestly i have also never been a fan of his music. his discography has always been a bit too generic for my ear and i never liked his voice, even tho i'm a sucker for a teen singer-songwriter heartthrob 

 

i know this era of his was a MESS. the rollout? well... the cover? ugh... and based on my feelings towards his back catalogue and the mess of an era he has i just didn't bother to check on this album expecting it to be his typical unsubstantial pop-rock-ish snoozefest. BUUUUUUUT????

 

when i finally got my hands on the album i was honestly blown away by the quality, the intimacy, the rawness of the sound, of the lyrics, of the vocal performance. it is actually the first Shawn Mendes album that i listened to more than once back to back and finally could connect with. i can't even choose my favorite tracks because it feels like a singular body of work, like a SOLID body of work.

 

and honestly i don't care. i don't want hits, i don't want pop Shawn Mendes. if the cult he's in makes him make more and more music like this than NEVER let him out. he should stay this niche folk-rock darling, his voice suits this sound and the sound compliments his voice.

 

 

It's definitely one of his better albums. Shame he made little to no effort to promote it, kinda like the previous era. 

It was a cute little era for the socially anxious listener. I think it did show growth compared to Wonder. My only issue is the title. He already had a self-titled album for 2018, so to release another self-titled album again was boring. He could have just used a song title like Heart of Gold to differentiate it just a little…

3 minutes ago, jakeisphat said:

It was a cute little era for the socially anxious listener. I think it did show growth compared to Wonder. My only issue is the title. He already had a self-titled album for 2018, so to release another self-titled album again was boring. He could have just used a song title like Heart of Gold to differentiate it just a little…

i think its because in some cases the 2018 album is referred to as The Album 

 

 

 

the album is okay, i only listened to it like once when i got the CD at target. my bestie works/worked at the Target i live near and wanted to see her and it was one of the CDs i picked up that i had an ounce of interest in vs the rest i had zero interest in lol

Yeah this has so much heart in it, it's an easy listen, but to be honest I tend to go back to older albums by Shawn because I can feel the intensity and drive from his previous albums. I'm sure he's in a good place now where the latest album is like his awakening and what he really loves and I'm happy for him, I still have his old albums to enjoy anyway, and who knows, as I grow older I might gravitate towards this music of his in the future.

Sorry, but he's so boring!

I prefer Wonder over Shawn. 

 

But i do like Why Why Why and Heart of Gold 

Edited June 3, 20251 yr by Into The Void

He had a chance to serve us sex bops like Sexyback - the image he portrays is tired 

 

Isn't every song like two minutes  

It's not ambitious and that is okay. Nobody Knows is the only song of his I genuinely enjoy and have saved.

 

I think his biggest issue and what doesn't click is his branding. This sound fits him and with his low-key approach he could build a niche fanbase, but he could benefit from a stronger point of view in visual details like the album title- "The Mountain" perfectly captures where he's at in his personal journey for example- and the cover, which imo this should've been the one:

 

Edited June 3, 20251 yr by Spicy Pisces

This album was right up my alley as a more indie/folk/songwriter kinda vibe that you'd hear in obscure coffee shops.

Its definitely my favorite album he's put out, I only wish it wasn't 30 minutes. The songs end right as they're going somewhere.

Some of these songs are not even 2 minutes