(EMI)
Regrouping after some time out, the Canadian singer-songwriter adopts a sparser, folk rock approach, yet shines best in honeyed pop mode

Five years ago, Canadian superstar Shawn Mendes was riding high; two Grammy nominations preceded a sold-out world tour and a lucrative gig as the face – and bulge – of Calvin Klein underwear. A tepid fourth album, 2020’s quickly forgotten Wonder, and a mental health break now finds Mendes steadily rebuilding from scratch.

Mainly eschewing the galloping pop-rock of old, Shawn’s 12 short tracks, including a superfluous cover of Leonard Cohen’s authenticity lodestar Hallelujah, focus on lilting, unadorned folk-rock. Pensive opener Who I Am, which picks over the fallout from his time away with candour, is stripped right back to acoustic guitar and distant backing vocals. The Mountain, meanwhile, follows a similar route but is memorable mainly for referencing Mendes’s much-discussed sexuality.