Wonder

I didn't like his music before. He seems like a harmless guy, but his music is just so overplayed. Stitches and Treat You Better were so bland and uninteresting, and of course, BETTER THAN HE CAN, amirite? Up top. And even don't get me started on Senorita, I had a month-long camp in Australia, and Senorita played in the aux every night in campfires. And ooh la la la, I can't ooh la la last any longer in this existence if I hear that song one more time. It's catchy, sure, but so is a cold. I rather catch a brutal cold than listen to Senorita.

So, is my conscious mind forcing myself to like this, hoping for a redemption arc? To be honest with you, that's very possible. But hey ho, I'm having a lot of fun listening to this album!

Wonder is clearly a stylistic growth from his previous works. Where pre-2020 Shawn Mendes sounded as interesting as literal cardboard, 2020 Shawn Mendes sounds way better. More comfortable on the instrumentation, hitting high notes more naturally than he would before (BETTER THAN HE CAN), I, I don't know man. Shawn really improved here.

Musically, soft-rock dominates here, with glimpses of synthpop and ballads. And you know what? It doesn't sound awkward at all. I LIKE IT. IT'S ENTERTAINING. There, I said it. Eliiscool5 officially lost his damn mind. "What about it being generic?" "What about Shawn being uninteresting?" I hear you ask, well guess what, I DON'T agree. There are soft-rock tracks like Wonder, Dream, and they sound nice. There are synthpop tracks like Intro, Teach Me How To Love, and I like it. There are typical pop tunes like Piece of You, Monster, and they also sound good. There are even typical ballads like 305, and THEY TOO sound nice to my ears. So, yes, I have lost my mind, but oh boy am I having great fun while so. Stan our Shawn Mendes oppa, stream Wonder.

Favorite tracks: Teach Me How to Love, Dream, Monster, Piece of You, Look Up In The Stars
Least favorite tracks: Higher