The Weeknd- After Hours
Label: Republic
Producers: The Weeknd, DaHeala, Illangelo, Kevin Parker, Max Martin, Metro Boomin, Notinbed, OPN, Oscar Holter, Prince 85 and Ricky Reed
The fourth studio release from the velvet-voiced, sonic scientist that is The Weeknd was, first and foremost, another marvel of sound from an act that has progressively proven himself to be one of the most restlessly creative and ambitious performers in today’s pop world. After Hours is gloriously drenched in unforgiving beats, experimental production, and a truckload of vintage but updated flourishes of 80s greatness, from new wave to dream pop to straight-up dance. And while it’s ridiculously easy to become completely entranced in the hypnotic wonders that give the album its backbone, it’s important not to take for granted what a lyrical stunner the project is as well. The deeply personal prose and candidly dark confessions that Abel Tesfaye bares throughout the record are nothing short of revelatory. He magnificently weaves a litany of demonic vices (drugs, pills, fame and sex among them) within the captivating instrumentation, with the ultimate reward of course being the silk purity of his voice that ties it all together. The combination of these elements meld to create a harrowing body of work, drenched in beautiful dichotomies that are equally and simultaneously soulfully comforting, and cryptically haunting all the same.The cutting opening lyric of “Alone Again”–“Take off my disguise, I’m living someone else’s life”–immediately sets the tone for the emotionally complicated record that unfolds before us. Between this track and its complimentary follow up, “Too Late”, it proves to be a trippy and heavily produced start, one heavy with synth and processed vocals, and far reaching in stylistic influence. Blending sounds reminiscent of everyone from Daft Punk and Tame Impala to The Moody Blues, we’re treated to a dreamy dance floor ambience that is both alluring as hell, and methodically hypnotic.
With the stylistic tone of the album now well-established, we’re next graced with a slew of emotional performances that thankfully put just as much spotlight on the Weeknd’s sensational vocal talent. Between the chilling falsetto and 80s-tastic vibes, the Michael Jackson comparisons remain obvious and filled with plenty of merit. However, the Weeknd certainly possesses his own uniquely fresh vocal appeal, and it’s often-times the most solemn of performances that remind listeners just how irresistible his voice is. Much of the record confronts mistakes he’s made in his romantic life, and he tackles them with an impressive combination of both angst and grace. Tracks like “Hardest to Love”, “Scared to Live” and single “In Your Eyes” find the singer reconciling these mistakes with the sincere sentiment that he doesn’t want the pain he’s caused to hold his former lover from finding greater happiness with someone else. That doesn’t mean that he’s completely immune to the less flattering moments that pepper a break up, as the somewhat salty “Save Your Tears” clearly shows. Overall however, we’re presented with a man whose primary concern is making sure his ex is going to be okay.
Such romantic demises and lack of self-care only pave the way for plenty of threatening demons to emerge in one’s personal life. Thus, the Weeknd spends a greater portion of After Hours prominently addressing those flawed moments, and with zero discretion or apologies. Daring cuts like “Snowchild”, “Escape From LA”, and the hip-hop leaning “Heartless” all discuss the common grapples that come with the realization of fame and success, with “LA” featuring one of the album’s most vivid and graphic moments, portraying a seedy meeting with what is assumed to be a prostitute. “Faith” takes the looming sense of doom to new heights, playing out as a shocking and sobering depiction of a man fighting-and failing-against the evil temptations of substance abuse, as the devastation of his break up and the pressures of his success mount to an insurmountable level. Perhaps most bewildering of all in this portion of the record is the appearance of “Blinding Lights”, the iconic smash single and what proved to be the biggest banger of COVID-era pop. And while it was indeed one of the very best pop music moments in many a moon, it also takes on a chilling new identity within the context of the album; it’s just as much a battle with one’s inner demons as anything else to be found here.
Gripping as the overall record may be up to this point, perhaps the most captivating personal excavation is saved for the final ten minutes of the album. The penultimate track, “After Hours”, will immediately hook the listener for its Stranger Things-influenced synth, before ultimately building and then exploding into a tipsy club fog that is glorious, and oh so melancholy. It’s an epic event of a performance that finds the narrator making one last ditch effort to find forgiveness before he falls into an unavoidable downward spiral. His voice is positively otherworldly here. It proves to be the perfect segue into the devastating closer, “Until It Bleeds Out”, a chilling confession from a drug-rattled addict who so desperately wants to exorcise his demons once and for all. Sadly, you can’t help but feel like it’s a tale of demise, making the resulting hangover from this album all the more bitterly moving.
After Hours was certainly not the rousing mood-booster that so many of us may have needed as it climbed the charts. It’s nevertheless a soulfully cleansing project for its fearless exploration of life’s darkest and most personal moments, and its refusal to beautify them up for the sake of mass appeal. Perhaps that ultimately made it as good a coping mechanism in the 2020 world, as any upbeat record was. In many ways, this thrilling musical accomplishment felt like a gruesome yet entertaining horror film. It’s moody, trippy and frightening. And those are the very reasons that it’s also so damn enthralling and entertaining. It’s gory and unapologetically so, and it’s also The Weeknd’s most stunning and fully realized record to date.
Track Listing
- “Along Again” (Abel Tesfaye, Jason Quenneville, Carlo Montagnese, Adam Feeney)
- “Too Late” (Tesfaye, Quenneville, Montagnese, Eric Burton Frederick)
- “Hardest to Love” (Tesfaye, Max Martin, Oscar Holter)
- “Scared to Live” (Tesfaye, Martin, Holter, Ahmad Balshe, Daniel Lopatin, Elton John, Bernie Taupin)
- “Snowchild” (Tesfaye, Quenneville, Balshe, Montagnese)
- “Escape from LA” (Tesfaye, Montagnese, Leland Tyler Wayne, Mike McTaggart)
- “Heartless” (Tesfaye, Wayne, Montagnese, Andre Proctor) *2019 Single Release
- “Faith” (Tesfaye, Balshe, Montagnese, Wayne)
- “Blinding Lights” (Tesfaye, Balshe, Quenneville, Martin, Holter) *2019 Single Release
- “In Your Eyes” (Tesfaye, Balshe, Martin, Holter) *2020 Single Release
- “Save Your Tears” (Tesfaye, Balshe, Quenneville, Martin) *2020 Single Release
- “Repeat After Me (Interlude)” (Tesfaye, Kevin Parker, Lopatin)
- “After Hours” (Tesfaye, Quenneville, Balshe, Montagnese, Mario Winans)
- “Until I Bleed Out” (Tesfaye, Wayne, Lopatin, Meidi Rhars)
The 706 
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