New Album Review: The Weeknd- Dawn FM

The Weeknd- Dawn FM

Label: Republic

Producers: The Weeknd, Benny Bock, Brian Kennedy, Bruce Johnston, Calvin Harris, Charlie Coffeen, DaHeala, Gitty, Max Martin, OPN, Oscar Holter, Peter Lee Johnson, Rex Kudo, Swedish House Mafia, and Tommy Brown

Following recent COVID-era trends, The Weeknd dropped his fifth album, the follow-up to his iconic 2020 commercial behemoth After Hours that would have certainly warranted an enormous amount of blockbuster promotion, without any advance warning at all. That element of surprise only intensified the excitement surrounding a release that will carry a buzz that will be difficult for any 2022 pop release to match, regardless of the roll-out. Dawn FM proves to be a compelling, slightly concept-leaning album. The title is an obvious nod to its role as the fall-out from After Hours, with it’s opening sequence directly referring to itself as a retreat from a darkness that’s been resided in for far too long. This is a proclamation that takes on even greater meaning in decade which has seen its first two years crippled by the isolation caused by a worldwide pandemic. That whole promise however proves to be rather ironic, and often-times empty as the record progresses. We should’ve known; this is a Weeknd album after all, where every hypnotic melody, soaring vocal, and irresistible dance beat is inextricably linked to an undeniable mood of loneliness, uncertainty, and even devastation. And that’s precisely when the Weeknd is at his best. Thumping romps like “Take My Breath” and “Sacrifice” are scorching pieces of pop fire. “Out of Time” is arguably his greatest vocal performance to date, on a track that is gorgeously scarred with regret and an appreciation for a lover that comes far too late. Meanwhile, romantic complications take even more ominous and paranoid tones of despair on heartbreak-laced tracks like “How Do I Make You Love Me”, “Is There Someone Else”, and “Don’t Break My Heart”. All in all, Dawn FM proves to be a worthy sequel to such a lofty predecessor. As an overall body of work, it may in actuality be an even more cohesive and captivating set, chalk-full with as many seductive melodies, magnetic vocal turns, and evocative moments as anything the Weeknd has recorded to date. An emotional, moody and alluring thrill ride at every turn, it starts off the pop year of 2022 in enormous fashion.

Track Listing:

1. “Dawn FM” (Abel Tesfaye, Daniel Lopatin)
2. “Gasoline” (Tesfaye, Lopatin, Max Martin, Oscar Holter, Matt Cohn)
3. “How Do I Make You Love Me?” (Tesfaye, Lopatin, Martin, Holter, Cohn, Axel Hedfors, Steve Angello, Sebastian Ingrosso)
4. “Take My Breath” (Tesfaye, Martin, Holter, Ahmad Balshe, Andrea DiCegli, Luigi Tutolo)
5. “Sacrifice” (Tesfaye, Martin, Hedfors, Angello, Ingrosso, Holter, Carl Nordstrom, Kevin McCord)
6. “A Tale By Quincy” (Tesfaye, Quincy Jones, Lopatin, Jeff Gitelman)
7. “Out of Time” (Tesfaye, Lopatin, Martin, Holter, Tomoko Aran, Tetsuro Oda)
8. “Here We Go Again” featuring Tyler the Creator (Tesfaye, Tyler Okonma, Msasmune Kudo, Bruce Johnston, Christian Love, Brian Kennedy, Bock, Coffeen)
9. “Best Friends” (Tesfaye, Jason Quenneville)
10. “Is There Someone Else?” (Tesfaye, Lopatin, Martin, Thomas Brown,Peter Lee Johnson)
11. “Starry Eyes” (Tesfaye, Lopatin, Brown, Johnson)
12. “Every Angel Is Terrifying” (Tesfaye, Lopatin, Cohn)
13. “Don’t Break My Heart” (Tesfaye, Lopatin, Martin, Cohn, Holter)
14. “I Heard You’re Married” featuring Lil Wayne (Tesfaye, Lopatin, Dwayne Carter, Adam Wiles)
15. “Less Than Zero” (Tesfaye, Martin, Holter)
16. “Phantom Regret by Jim” (Tesfaye, Holter, Cohn, Lopatin, Martin, Jim Carrey)