by Hannah Lee ’21

After almost two years without new music from The Weeknd, the singer dropped his fourth studio album “After Hours” on March 20. A new album often marks a new “era” for the singer, symbolizing a different persona. This new persona, aware of his self sabotaging tactics, contrasts greatly with the former one from his album “Starboy,” who arrogantly embodied the luxuries of fame while having his “stargirl” by his side. “After Hours” unveils a more personal reality of fame, heartbreak, and struggles with drug abuse. The album is a perfect mix of the singer’s upbeat synth pop melodies in his former album “Starboy” while incorporating more darker r&b and melancholy lyrics that many of his older fans craved from his earlier album “Trilogy.”

 Although this album does not include any features, the singer worked alongside producers Oneohtrix Point Never and Daniel Lopatin, who also created the soundtrack for the movie “Uncut Gems,” in which The Weeknd played a role in (resulting in similar futuristic melodies which can be picked up in both the soundtrack of the movie and the album). The Weeknd also included inspiration from the 80’s scene feel alongside the futuristic tunes in the album.

The two singles “Blinding Lights” and “Heartless,” which came out in late November of 2019, prelude the album’s overall theme of using a fast lifestyle filled with drug use to cover up heartbreak and loneliness. 

The 14 track album begins with “Alone Again” and “Too Late,” which start off slow and moody and switch to similar faster r&b tempos. In “Alone Again,” the singer admits that he cannot be alone because the heartbreak is turning him into the man he once was (the album is speculated to be about his ex girlfriend, model Bella Hadid, who he has been on and off with since 2015). In “Too Late” he similarly conveys how he can already feel himself spiraling into his old habits as he is left alone with his thoughts and past demons.

Tracks like “Hardest to Love” and “Save Your Tears” have a brighter and more generic pop sound but still feature the 80’s inspired feel incorporated throughout the album. In these songs he admits his faults as a lover and his disbelief that someone would stick with him after all he’s done.“Scared to Live” is slower and more ballad-like and shows off the Weeknd’s admirable runs and vocal range as he insists that his lover should not be held back by the restrictions their relationship had caused for her. 

“Snowchild” is a more mellow song with various sound effects and adds a refreshing sound to the album. It includes a reference to his song “The Morning” from past album “Trilogy” in which he said, “cali is the mission” (in reference to his goal to gain recognition and money). In “Snowchild” he says “cali was the mission” but now he has decided to leave. This song sets the mood for the next song “Escape from LA” in which he sings he has everything he could ever want but it’s all for nothing without the person he wants to share it with. 

“Repeat After Me” and “Heartless” do shift the narrative slightly and show hints of the old hubris of a character who knows his ex-girlfriend is still under his influence, even if she is with someone new. The listener can ironically hear parts of this character’s “old ways” progress and pop out throughout the album- particularly in “Faith” and  “Until I Bleed Out” which highlight the singer’s struggle with addiction and prediction of his potential overdose.  

“After Hours” as a whole is a great addition to The Weeknd’s already diverse discography, blending his more experimentational pop and techno sounds while leaving the usual underlying sorrowful lyrics intact, pleasing both new and old listeners and symbolizing a promising future for the singer’s career.

Grade: B+