Handwritten

Just as baby boomers trawled the Seventies for a new Dylan, millennials — and those who profit off them — are still in search of the next Bieber. Shawn Mendes, a 16-year-old Canadian with more Vine followers than Justin himself, once seemed like a viable candidate. His debut album, though, presents him as a nice-guy guitar strummer more influenced by the light acoustic pop of Ed Sheeran. And, like the British teen idol, Mendes has more rhythm than you’d expect (note the Nelly singsong flows on “Aftertaste”). “Kid in Love” might be about not growing up, but its playful self-awareness suggests that the singer is already plenty savvy.