Listen into these thoughts on The Weekend’s newest album. PHOTO CREDIT: Genius.com
Abel Tesfaye, better known as the R&B pop artist, The Weeknd, released his fifth studio album “Dawn FM” on Jan. 7.
This album continues the chart-topping legacy of his 2020 album “After Hours,” featuring the smash hit track “Blinding Lights.” The success of “After Hours” can be seen as a large influence for the theme of “Dawn FM.”
“Dawn FM” dropped with little fanfare, but immediately took off, shooting up the charts. Filled with themes of heartbreak, raw emotion and nihilism, the album’s story is structured as a radio station (103.5 Dawn FM) playing tracks into the void.
Legendary actor and comedian Jim Carrey stars as the “radio DJ”, accompanying the music with dark and mysterious messages. He randomly pops up during songs to remind the listener that they’re listening to “Dawn FM.” I think Carrey’s addition adds to the general feeling that the album is a radio show and draws the listener closer to the music.
One thing I love about “Dawn FM” is the seamless transitions between songs. “How Do I Make You Love Me?” features an extended outro that flows perfectly into a longer version of the wildly popular single “Take My Breath.” Upon first listen, it was hard to tell where the first song ended and the second started, which I personally appreciated. It adds to that feeling of listening to the radio rather than an album, which is what The Weeknd was attempting to create.
The Weeknd is known for making dark and moody R&B tracks, which continues on “Dawn FM.” Songs like “How Do I Make You Love Me?,” “Here We Go… Again” featuring Tyler, the Creator and “Is There Someone Else?” all tell a story about the fear and pain associated with falling in and out of relationships. The Weeknd is no stranger to heartbreak, which is the main driving force behind many of the songs on “Dawn FM” and other projects in his discography.
Alongside the clear influence from 80s synth-pop, The Weeknd draws on funk influence on tracks like “I Heard You’re Married” and “Out of Time.” “Out of Time” reminds me of “The Girl is Mine” by Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney. These tracks are super laid back and groovy, which is a great respite from the darker and more emotional tracks on the album.
The album concludes with an uplifting but also equally heartbreaking track, “Less Than Zero,” which contrasts cheery synths with emotional and passionatelyrics from The Weeknd. Following “Less Than Zero” is a vocal outro from DJ Jim Carrey, titled “Phantom Regret by Jim”. This outro is a hauntingly beautiful poem delivered perfectly by Carrey and ends the experience of listening to “Dawn FM” so well.
Overall, this album works so well thematically. The Weeknd clearly found a formula for making this collection feel like an experience. Listening to this project is both a step into the past and a breath of fresh air in pop music. “Dawn FM” represents a part of a larger societal embrace of the retro synth-pop sounds of the 80s. Other recent examples of this new trend are Dua Lipa’s album “Future Nostalgia” which pays homage to the nightclub culture of the late 80s, along with Tory Lanez’s “Alone At Prom” which feels like a trip to high school in the mid-80s.
The Weeknd showcases his creativity and talent in a way that works so well for his identity. He has long embraced darkness as a part of his brand, which surprisingly harmonizes perfectly with retro synth-pop. This album was a great experience on the first listen and I can’t wait for more of these songs to be in my daily rotation.