Justin Bieber - What Do You Mean? (track review)

In his first release since 2012 Justin Bieber has headed in a more R&B oriented direction, like he heard Sam Smith being played on the radio of a car speeding past him and decided he wanted to sound like that.  The piano chords are as basic and uninspired as it’s possible to be, offering nothing new to set itself apart, but a respite is granted in the form of fairly creative production and instrumental parts, courtesy of Skrillex and Cali the Producer.

Cali the Producer, of course, being hot off the heels of writing and producing the fantastic Carly Rae Jepsen single “Run Away with Me”.  All I can suggest when listening to “What do you mean?” is that you do yourself a favour and listen to Carly Rae Jepsens entire album “Emotion” if you’re in the market for concise, memorable pop music.

I can’t recommend that you waste your time with this single unless you’re already a fan of Justin Bieber, in which case it’s a waste of time suggesting anything to you because you probably already own this song in every format in which it exists.

Charlie McCartney