Cyrus Langhorne
R&B singer The Weeknd has ended the drought. The popular crooner has come through for true fans with his long-awaited After Hours album release.
Big Facts
Heading into Friday, Weeknd geared up to release the banger-filled release. Once the clock struck 12, the Toronto native delivered on his latest solo effort.
The Weeknd’s new album After Hours has arrived. It’s his follow-up to My Dear Melancholy, and Starboy. The record was led by “Blinding Lights,” “Heartless,” and “After Hours,” as well as “Scared to Live,” which the Weeknd debuted with Daniel Lopatin on SNL. Revisit the Weeknd’s “After Hours” short film, and hear the whole new album, below. (Pitchfork earns a commission from purchases made through affiliate links on our site.) Contributors to After Hours include Lopatin, Max Martin, Metro Boomin, Frank Dukes, and Illangelo. Plus, Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker is credited on “Repeat After Me (Interlude).” (Pitchfork)
High-Key Details
Earlier this month, Weeknd took centerstage on “Saturday Night Live” to plug the LP. He performed multiple songs from the album dressed in the same attire as the project’s cover art.
Wait, There’s More
Weeknd went all-out with the project’s overall sound. He meshes current beats with some seriously throwback instrumentals.
Rather than sticking out like a sore thumb, the glorious 80s synthpop explosion of lead single Blinding Lights – No 1 in the UK for five of the last six weeks – blends in nicely with the album’s nostalgic palette of shape-shifting synth workouts, tactile minimalism and (on Too Late and Hardest to Love), splashes of drum’n’bass and UK garage. Just as those early mixtapes were buffeted by blog-friendly samples from the likes of Beach House and Siouxsie and the Banshees, the Phil Collins-esque ballad Scared to Live soars over a hilarious sample from Elton John’s Your Song, while new single In Your Eyes struts around a refreshingly uncool sax solo. (The Guardian)
Before You Go
The project’s wordplay has already sparked some online investigations. Twitter users have weighed-in on some of Weeknd’s possible targets and song motivations.
If you’ll recall, Abel Tesfaye went through a second Bella Hadid breakup last fall. “Is that Bella’s laugh in Snowchild? Lol My boy’s in love fr,” one fan wrote on Twitter. “Damn just heard Scared to Live,” another fan tweeted. “Abel & Bella are DONE done lmao.” “Escape from LA is inspired by bella hadid.. chrome hearts????? oh yes abel we know you love her,” said a different fan. While, Bella Hadid is all over this album, some fans also see a little of his other ex, Selena Gomez, on After Hours. “Save Your Tears” mentions a “crowded room,” which is also the name of a new Selena Gomez song. He did just spend My Dear Melancholy singing about her, but it’s enough coincidence for — at least — the eyes emoji. (Vulture)
