Shawn Mendes’s fourth studio album, “Wonder”, came out Dec. 4 at midnight. There are 14 songs on the album, including singles “Monster” and “Wonder”. The album was made while he was on a 105 show tour and during the quarantine. Mendes’s album was inspired by music in the 1960s.

The first track, “Intro,” is only a minute and two seconds, but it’s soothing and was inspired by the Queen track “Bohemian Rhapsody.” 

Track two, single “Wonder”, is a fantastic track. Both the backing track and the lyrics are phenomenal. The backing track has a lot of different aspects. In the beginning, it’s rather simple, but when it goes into the chorus, it gets a little bit more complex and layered. It builds through some of the verse, then comes down and builds again in the chorus. The lyrics are a little confusing because it seems, in the verses, the song could be about something like anxiety, loneliness, or low self-esteem, but then the chorus indicates it’s about love with lyrics such as “I wonder what it’s like to be loved by you.”

The song “Higher” is track three on the album. This track features a lot more of Mendes’s falsetto. The song is clearly about falling in love and his relationship with Camila Cabello, with lyrics such as “All eyes are lookin’ at us/ But I can’t stop fallin’ in love.” The backtrack sounds Latin influenced, it’s drum-heavy, and features countermelodies that sound very unique and different.

“24 Hours”, the fourth track, is another phenomenal song. There isn’t a lot of production on the track, it’s simple with only piano and a little bit of organ. The lyrics indicate marriage, with lyrics of the chorus being “All it’d take is 24 hours/ Sign the check and the place is ours/ It’s a little soon/ But I want to come home to you/ All it’d take is 24 hours/ We could dance, you could throw the flowers/ It’s a little soon/ But I wanna come home to you.” 

The fifth song, “Teach Me How To Love”, is about being intimate with someone. The lyrics are very clear in that message. The track is completely different than any of the other songs on the album, lyrically and musically. The backtrack is more modern, whereas the rest of the album sounds like it came out of earlier decades.

“Call My Friends”, the sixth track, is about missing his friends due to his hectic touring schedule. It’s drum-heavy and very energetic. Contrary to the energetic beat, the lyrics are somewhat heartbreaking as he wants to be with his friends and wants to be a normal guy again but can’t due to his schedule. 

“Dream” is track seven and it’s about missing someone that you love but can’t be with. Mendes is writing about Cabello, using the line “You’re asleep in London”, as she was in London filming Cinderella. When he’s missing her, all he has to do is close his eyes and he dreams about her. Without her, he feels suffocated and he can’t wait to fall asleep so he can see her in his dreams. The backtrack is somewhat majestic, making it feel as though it could be a dream.

Track eight is “Song For No One.” “Song For No One” was written three years ago by Mendes when he was wishing he could be with the person he loved, which is Cabello. The song is fairly simple, backtrack wise, until after the third verse, where it becomes layered and a little complex. 

The ninth track of the album is single “Monster” and is my personal favorite. It features Justin Bieber on the track and both voices together sound phenomenal. The song is about the pressure of being a celebrity, being afraid you’re going to mess up and not fill the mold that’s been created for you. Both artists gained fame at the young age of 15, making it understandable why they would both feel this way.

The song “305” is track 10. The song is about overthinking everything about a relationship, but also knowing that’s where you want to be, “It’s 3:05/ I’m on a rollercoaster ride/ Hoping you don’t change your mind/ I don’t wanna let go, never been so sure in my life/ I’m terrified/ You’ll turn around and say goodbye/ Hoping you don’t change your mind/ I don’t wanna let go, I’ve never been so sure in my life.” It’s in the early hours of the morning and Mendes is questioning if she will change her mind and not want to be with him, but he knows he wants to be with her. Production-wise, the song sounds energetic and fun.

“Always Been You” is track 11. Production-wise, it sounds a little bit like “Intro.” In the song, he’s saying it’s always been Cabello and she’s always been there, she’s seen everything, and she was sent to save him. During the chorus, it’s loud and energetic, but then when he sings, it’s only his voice heard.

Track 12 is “Piece Of You.” The song has a little bit of a techno beat, but with a little bit of pop mixed in. The song is about being jealous, possessive, and protective because everybody wants a piece of a girl, but she’s his. He wants everyone to know she belongs to him. 

“Look Up At The Stars” is track 13. The song starts soft and only piano, then goes into heavy production at the pre-chorus and the chorus. The song is about feeling good about a relationship and knowing how good it is. He says the universe is theirs, and they could fly so far, meaning they could go on forever, there’s nothing in their way, the possibilities are endless.

The last track, “Can’t Imagine”, is about not being able to imagine what life would be like without a significant other, without someone to always be there for you. Lyrically, the song is incredibly repetitive, the phrase “I can’t imagine what the world would be” is repeated a lot, the verses are two lines, and are the only lines that aren’t “I can’t imagine what the world would be”, along with the three-line outro. The beginning is very simple and it’s only his voice and a guitar riff. The song is unedited and you can hear that at the end when you hear him say “Cool, that’s good for now.” It initially was recorded just to get the melody down, but then he kept it on the album, which is a cool aspect of it. Personally, this is my least favorite track on the album.

Overall, the album is very good, there are some great tracks and some only okay tracks, but the album is worth the time it takes to listen to.