Completing his “After Hours” trilogy and killing his alter-ego pseudonym, The Weeknd’s final album is ambitious, electric and proven to be his magnum opus.
After a delay in the release date, the anticipation for this record was growing by the minute. Upon listening to the first track, fans knew that it would be worth the wait. The 22-song and nearly hour-and a-half run time features a cinematic experience that is difficult to come across in this age of music, and quite different from his earlier works, although they resemble similar sonic and lyrical elements found throughout the “After Hours,” “Dawn FM,” and “HURRY UP TOMORROW” trilogy.
The album had a set of hidden features, including Future, Justice, Florence + The Machine, Travis Scott and his longtime collaborator Lana Del Rey. “The Abyss,”, the pairs’ fourth song together, finds their vocal and musical chemistry hitting new peaks, and fans speculate that he will be featured on Del Rey’s upcoming album, “The Right Person Will Stay,” releasing on May 21.
The tracklist is inexplicably bloated, although it saves face through its smooth and silky transitions. It’s easy to imagine an album with this many songs and skit-interludes to get tired towards the second half of its body, yet you’re still feeling the same vibe all the way through this record.
In terms of the trilogy itself, the first part, “After Hours” acts as a deep dive into hedonism and self-destruction. It’s the beginning of the end, and he’s struggling to come to terms with the end of his pop-star persona. Act 2, “DAWN FM” works as the reflection aspect when approaching the end of a chapter; all the things you did wrong, all the things you wish you would’ve done and all the good parts you’ll remember. Then comes the hard part: letting go. In “HURRY UP TOMORROW,” we ride upon the journey of a long, slow yet bittersweetly boring death. The concepts found in this album are a new level of extraordinary, and he comes out on top at the very last moments before he loses himself — finding comfort and serenity in the process.
In essence, The Weeknd is now dead, and the world is opening up its arms for Abel Tesfaye to take his place. Nobody knows where his next music is heading towards, but fans know that they are ready and excited to see what will come from this re-brand.
