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Its like an athlete in their prime.
I have to keep going.
Hes taking it hard.
Hes a cheerful pop star of a kind they dont make so much anymore.
Theyre always catchy, sometimes gloriously so and sometimes infernally so.
Theres Nothing Holding Me Back is unbridled euphoria; Never Be Alone is middling Mumford-core.
Its all a little too clean and predictable, though, a reality Mendes seems to notice.
Still, effete vocals and cute guitar licks reigned.
Wondergets a lot of this variety from its players.
A murderers row of talent makes for a varied and dynamic sound.Wonders tastes are vast.
The gorgeous vocal harmonies fanning through the mix on Dreams call the Beach Boys to mind.
The climax of Song for No One is edifying Beatles fan service.
(Put this before Hey Jude in a mix, trust.)
The headbanger of a bridge on Look Up at the Stars has palpable Bennie and the Jets energy.
Piece of You dabbles in disco; the long overdue Bieber duet Monster borders on boom bap.
24 Hours is the same kind of impossibly loud, achingly pretty song Kanye West used to excel at.
This is the most interesting-sounding music Shawn Mendes has ever made.
Call My Friends and Always Been You stand up against any and everything in his catalogue.
Its the only time his showbiz smile and pensive photoshoot gaze break in the whole Netflix doc.
(I was nine when One Time came out, Shawn told Lowe.
He was Elvis to me.)
But when the band sounds this good, you wonder, does it matter?
