Review: In cathartic new song, Shawn Mendes asks ‘Why Why Why’

POP/ROCK

Shawn Mendes, “Why Why Why”

“I stepped off the stage with nothing left,” Mendes sings, referencing his headline-generating 2022 decision to cancel a scheduled world tour and focus on his mental health. The stomping, acoustic-guitar driven “Why Why Why,” from his forthcoming album “Shawn,” represents a new level of candor and pathos from the 26-year-old pop star, who has returned to the spotlight but admits he still doesn’t have all the answers: “I don’t know why, why, why, why,” he croons as the instrumentation builds around him, offering fleeting catharsis in the form of a folksy, sing-along chorus.

LINDSAY ZOLADZ, New York Times

Leon Bridges, “Peaceful Place”

The Texas singer-songwriter sets aside past troubles to enjoy unexpected contentment in “Peaceful Place.” His recent collaborations with Khruangbin have moved him away from soul revivalism toward hybrid, open-ended grooves. “Peaceful Place” hints at funk and Nigerian Afrobeat, with a steady-ticking beat and a hopping bass line as he reassures everyone, “I found something no one can take away.”

JON PARELES, New York Times

Kelsea Ballerini, “Sorry Mom”

Ballerini has a long list of apologies in “Sorry Mom,” from missing a birthday to dropping out of college to premarital sex. “It took a little tough love to become the woman that you’re proud of,” she admits. The reconciliation is set to easy-strummed soft rock, with no apology for setting three-chord country music aside.

JON PARELES, New York Times

Adrianne Lenker, “Once a Bunch”

“Once a Bunch,” a bonus track from Lenker’s solo album “Bright Future,” is a homey waltz that could easily be an homage to John Prine. Acoustic guitars and fiddle accompany Lenker’s paradoxes and wordplay as she sings about a relationship that starts out shaky — “I was leaving before I’d arrived” — but turns out OK. “You see all the good stuff I seem to have forgot,” she realizes. She also has an entire verse of breakfast puns.

JON PARELES, New York Times

R&B/HIP-HOP

Latto, “H&M”

“H&M” stands, cleverly, for “hurt and miserable” on this zesty kiss-off from the Atlanta rapper’s new album “Sugar Honey Iced Tea.” “Y’all be out here trauma bonding, misery love company,” she spits, while a glinting, sing-songy track winks and taunts those unwise enough to doubt her.

LINDSAY ZOLADZ, New York Times

New releases

• Post Malone, “F-1 Trillion”

• Ray LaMontagne, “Long Way Home”

• Morgan Wade, “Obsessed”

• Foster the People, “Paradise State of Mind”