Shawn Mendes, What The Hell Are We Dying For? | Track Review 🎵

Canadian heartthrob Shawn Mendes returns with “What The Hell Are We Dying For?” lamenting air pollution, climate change, and mostly, his breakup.

“Smoke’s in the air, the city’s burnin’ down.” Well, yes, 🎙 Shawn Mendes, there were gnarly forest fires in Canada that created some sus air quality and pollution in the US, particularly the likes of New York in early June 2023. Early on in his surprise single, 🎵 “What The Hell Are We Dying For?” it seems like the 🏆 Grammy-nominated Canadian heartthrob is committing to a call to action regarding climate change.  However, in this song written and produced with friends while experiencing that horrid air, his love life also creeps in. “I wanna save us, but I don’t know how,” Mendes sings vulnerably at the close of the first verse.

It leads into the chorus, which might have dashes of the population’s indifference to climate change, but definitely embraces the end of a relationship.  That relationship, of course, is another break up with Camila Cabello. “If we don’t love like we used to / If we don’t care like we used to / What the hell are we dying for?” he asks, continuing, “If it doesn’t cut like it used to / If you’re not mine and I’m not yours / What the hell are we dying for?” Mendes is definitely in his feelings, particularly in the bridge (“Livin’ without you / Is not livin’ at all”) as well as the expressive, ultra-nuanced ad libs and powered vocals towards the end.  There is a raw nature, amplified not only by the short amount of time “What The Hell Are We Dying For?” was conceived, recorded, and released, but also the pop/rock aesthetic itself.

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All in all, 🎵 “What The Hell Are We Dying For?” is an enjoyable record.  Is it the second coming? No.  Is it giving some mixed messages? Yes.  The climate change message sort of goes out the door early on, while Mendes’ broken heart takes front and center. Hopefully, Mendes gets out of his love funk and drops a new album 🔜.

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🎙 Shawn Mendes • 🎵 “What The Hell Are We Dying For?” • 🏷 Island • 🗓 6.9.23

[📷: Brent Faulkner/The Musical Hype; Island; OpenClipart-Vectors, PIRO via Pixabay]