Track Review: Shawn Mendes Releases Radio-Ready "When You're Gone"

Shawn Mendes has been in an odd commercial space for a minute. Ever since the tepid reception of his haggard Wonder album, he's struggled to find both his commercial and musical footing. After a brief absence following the release of his post-breakup ballad "It'll Be Okay," Shawn has returned with a surefire radio hit.

Written and produced by Shawn, Jonah Shy, and Scott Harris, "When You're Gone" is a jaunty pop-rock confection built on chugging guitars and rollicking drums. The infectious radio-ready melody finds Shawn and his collaborators blending the melancholic leanings of The 1975 and and the pop sensibilities of Youngblood-era 5 Seconds of Summer. He sings "You're slipping through my fingertips / A little bit, by a little bit / I didn't know that loving you was the happiest I've ever been." The song's chorus is where the majority of the lyrical heavy lifting is happening which leaves oddly bare verses. This structural choice is a smart one because it allows the emotional heft of the song to be centralized in the choruses, the second of which finds Shawn using his full voice to pull off a moment of dynamism in relation to the softer coloring of the preceding verses and chorus. The contrast between the down-trodden lyrics and the punchy instrumentation is a much more interesting take on the break-up song than the droning "It'll Be Okay." This kind of radio-ready pop-rock anthem is his pocket. Shawn is back on track.

Score: 73