Justin Bieber’s latest album, Changes, is a solid, if not bland, product of the times. Laced with melancholy sounds and synthetic beats, its songs fit right in with every other pop song on the radio today. Combined with Bieber’s signature smooth vocals, the album is not bad in the least, it merely lacks uniqueness.

The lead single “Yummy” concerned many fans with its repetitive and questionable lyrics, but what “Yummy” lacks in depth it makes up for with infectiousness. Though little meaning can be gleaned from the words (“Yeah you got that yummy, yum” / “that yummy, yum”), the song is already a radio hit stuck in listeners’ heads.

The album itself takes a different direction than the lead single. It starts off with a couple of unremarkable tracks before it starts to pick up. “Come Around Me”, the third track, was the first one to be noticeably catchy. With a consistent beat and easy-to-learn lyrics, it seems to invite singing along. “Intentions” feat. Quavo followed suit, with an even more memorable tune and a very 2020 chorus (“Picture perfect you don’t need no filter”). 

“Forever” encapsulates the album as a whole: it has all of the elements common to current radio hits. It checks off the top three boxes for radio success: an infectious beat, Post Malone, and mediocre lyrics (“Could you be here with me forever, ever, ever?”).

Meanwhile, “That’s What Love Is” is a welcome change of pace from the rest of the record. The almost tangible guitar strums bring back the earnest quality more reminiscent of Bieber on Purpose and Believe. “Changes” and “At Least For Now” also take a different direction from the rest, with a softer, slower sound and a greater focus on emotional lyrics. 

With seventeen similar tracks targeting the masses, Changes seems destined for radio wave mediocrity.