On Friday, Sept. 23, Shawn Mendes released his second album “Illuminate.” Expectations were high for this album after Mendes’ first debut “Handwritten” reached number one on the U.S. Billboard 200.

After posting six second singing videos on Vine in 2013, Mendes quickly received millions of views. This led to the growth of his fanbase by millions. A year later, Mendes signed with Island Records, later releasing his debut single “Life of the Party.” With this single he became the youngest person to debut in the top 25 on the Billboard Top 100.

Overall “Illuminate” lacks variety when it comes to rhythm and theme, but Mendes excels in vocal presentation and lyrical content. Most of the songs stay true to a mid-tempo melody, giving a small range of options to listeners. The tracks start to mix, causing listeners to lose appreciation for each song’s meaning. Mendes’ lyrics along with his vocal range show how he has matured since the beginning of his career as a singer.

One of the singles, “Three Empty Words,” sounds like a happy love song until the meaning of the lyrics arise. It tells about a situation where a couple is slowly falling out of love, realizing they need to end the relationship. Mendes sings “We don’t even care enough to fight,” and repeats the line “I won’t keep saying those three empty words.” This shows how people will stay in relationships they are comfortable with, rather than finding what they really need. Another song with similar meaning, “Honest,” portrays a boy explaining his true feelings about where his relationship is going.

Portraying a different perspective on relationships, the lyrics in “Bad Reputation” depict a boy explaining that he won’t let others’ opinions affect his view on a girl. Often people allow themselves to rely on others instead of formulating their own thoughts. This causes the spread of rumors, and miscommunication of how the person truly is. Mendes tells how he won’t allow these stories to stop him from pursuing her.

Mendes sticks with his usual pop genre in “Illuminate,” keeping his original fans pleased. Since he matured from his last album “Handwritten,” the content of his songs are more developed with personal experiences. Now that Mendes has grown out of the Justin Bieber-like phase, he is able to create his own self image with this album. He has made a name for himself and continues to prove his musical abilities as time goes on. “Illuminate” receives 3.5 out of 5 stars.