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Shawn Mendes Says His Next Album ‘Demolishes’ 'Handwritten'

He's also shared a new single called ‘Ruin’

Shawn Mendes is gearing up to release his second album, Illuminate, in September, and now he’s dropped a whole lot of details about the record — as well as a new song.

In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Mendes discusses how much he’s evolved as a singer and songwriter since his debut LP, Handwritten.

"I think people will be surprised by how edgy we get with the lyrics and the concepts,” he said. "Vocally, this album demolishes Handwritten, so people are not going to be ready for some of the songs in that sense."

“Demolish” is a good word given that his latest single from Illuminate is called “Ruin,” and it sees Mendes doing things with his voice that we’ve never really heard from him before, like breaking into a grungy groan right before hitting those oh-so-smooth high notes.

"I’ve had a crazy two years where the most inspiring things happened to me,” he said. "I feel like there’s so much to talk about, and I’m able to go into more detail with certain things in a more mature way, which is really exciting. You’re going to be able to hear that on the album."

Illuminate comes out September 23. Get ready to be demolished.

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