After four-year hiatus, John Mayer is back

Before we had Ed Sheeran’s acoustics, James Bay’s raspy vocals or Shawn Mendes’ catchy lyrics, we had the smooth guitar stylings of John Mayer. With tunes like “Your Body is a Wonderland” and “Waiting on the World to Change,” girls around the world swooned and sighed as Mayer picked his guitar with an effortless presence.

After taking a four-year break from releasing new music, Mayer started debuting tracks from his new album, “The Search for Everything.” In January, Mayer released “Wave I” of the album — the first of two four-track installments — which debuted on the Billboard’s Top 200 albums chart at No. 2. Then with “Wave II,” released Feb. 23, listeners were reminded why they originally fell in love with Mayer’s sound.

Tracks from both waves feature classic elements of Mayer’s eclectic musical style that don’t quite fit any genre. Old fans and new listeners alike can all find something to bop their heads to in the album. With collaborations from the John Mayer Trio’s bassist, Pino Palladino, and drummer, Steve Jordan, the musical components of each song flow seamlessly together from the opening words to the chorus and the slow fade at the end of the song.

Despite the catchy sound and melodic tone of both waves, listeners also get a strong message in each song upon taking another listen.

From the first installment, listeners were given the breakup album they didn’t realize they needed. Unlike other recently released breakup songs like “It Ain’t Me,” electronic dance music artist Kygo’s collaboration with Selena Gomez, listeners are intrigued by Mayer’s outlook on love and moving on.

“Still Feel Like Your Man,” which resembles a rhythm and blues tune, hits listeners with the reality of moving on with the simple lyrics, “I still keep your shampoo in my shower, in case you want to wash your hair.”

Not only do the tracks remind listeners it is normal to grieve a lost relationship, but it reminds them moving on and changing as a person are important parts of life. “Moving on and Getting Over” and “Changing” almost offer advice on how to improve yourself after a breakup.

Then tracks like “Love on the Weekend” and “Roll it on Home,” which sound like pop-infused country songs, give listeners a lighter view of love. Another song, “Emoji of a Wave,” explains the struggle of two people loving each other but knowing the relationship isn’t going to work.

In a time where breakup songs seem redundant (I’m looking at you, Taylor Swift), Mayer’s approach to the subject seems almost like he’s offering listeners advice. The order of the tracklist helps listeners through each stage of a breakup or, at the very least, provides them with a catchy tune to listen to.

“The Search for Everything” has shown listeners a softer side of a usually private singer, almost serving as a storybook of his relationship blunders and experiences in love, and the record lives up to the title. The story will only continue with the release of the final six tracks from the album, which comes out April 14.