The best music comes in the 'After Hours'

*Fair warning: My album reviews that I will be posting are not the traditional type as I will be critiquing the songs individually. If you are interested in reading an ACTUAL album review, I will link the review I wrote for school at the bottom of the page*

Ever since March 20th, there hasn't been one day where I haven't listened to The Weeknd's album "After Hours." I've been a fan of The Weeknd since he dropped the blazing song "Can't Feel My Face" back in 2015. However, my obsession reached an all-time peak in November last year when he announced to the public that he was dropping a new single for an album that would arrive early next year. I overloaded my phone and brain with his addictive songs that spin webs of cleverly crafted lyrics and mesmerizing beats. Each song on the album tells a story, seamlessly blending together, and Abel Tesfaye (aka The Weeknd himself) deserves his author credits.

The way I can determine an album will be of good quality is how the first track sounds. It sets the bar for what the listener can expect to stream. "Alone Again" opens with a sparkling persona and leaving a party in Vegas. Even though the narrators pockets are full of money, his lover is not with him. Halfway through the song, synths float in, eerie and powerful. "I don't know if I can be alone again" The Weeknd sings as the song fades out into the next. "Too Late" brings in echoing beats with deep melodic drops as outlets misconstrue their views on him. "It's way too late to save our souls" he pleads with guilty confession. The bass doesn't let up as the song wraps.

Changing from dark synth filled songs, Tesfaye lightens the mood with the hurried confessional "Hardest to Love." Bringing in a '90's vibe to it all, it's upbeat and adds pep that the first two songs seem to lack. However, the song ends on chilling note, leaving the listener confused with slight terror. However, organ music floats in as The Weeknd belts out his most powerful ballad to date, "Scared to Live." The verses are soothing, leading to a cresendo that leaves the listener wide-eyed with awe. The raw emotion may evoke tears in some, but only beautiful ones. 

Keeping on the soothing laid back tone flowing, Tesfaye allows fans to peek at his life and the events that have gotten him to where he is now. "Snowchild" starts out discussing growing up in troubled neighborhoods and that mission is to make it to California. As his success grows, he earns a Mercedes deal and a "jet so big, got a business and a coach." Eventually, he reveals that he has a mansion with a pool that he's never been in. The media accuses him of new things and he's ready to leave. Why? The following song "Escape From LA" describes how the girl he's dating is talking about others who are trying to win her heart. Halfway through, the mood goes from easy-going to uneasy. Later revealed that "LA girls all look the same" and how his lover came back to hook up with him, only to leave after she was satisfied.

Sliding out of the laid-back tones, "Heartless" comes in with it's vulgar lyrics and it's obsessive beat. The first single off the album portrayed the mood that this album would bring once it was released: exciting, vulnerable, addictive, and unlike anything anyone had heard before. Leaving the selfish mood of the previous song, "Faith" floats in with references to "Purple Rain," drugs, and losing touch with his religion. As the song seems to fade, sirens can be heard. Whether it's from an overdose or drug arrest, the lyrics "I ended up in the back of a flashing car/with the city shining on my face/the lights are blinding me awake" foreshadow the next bop.

Coming in at a dizzying speed, the Billboard chart topper, "Blinding Lights" swoops in and launches the listeners to their feet. In a glittery speeding persona, the songs lyrics are simple while the beat elegantly twists and spirals into a fascinating array. When you think the party is over, "In Your Eyes" brings a new side of The Weeknd out. It's more pop than R&B, a step out of his usual music comfort zone. The saxophone solo uncovers a new layer of Abel's ability to mix instruments in with digital effects.

The party pop train continues on with the upbeat "Save Your Tears." The contrast between the happy dance music with the depressing lyrics is proof that opposites attract. "I broke your heart like someone did to mine/and now you won't love me a second time" is balanced with a jazzy optimistic beat. Things are starting to wrap up when the interlude "Repeat after Me" comes in. The repetitive lyrics and keyboard heavy tune is a soothing descent from the energy high listeners were on.

The evocative beat of the self titled track "After Hours" is a six minute roller coaster of continuous bliss. Echoes lead to a moving beat drop that keeps the fans fully engaged. The song's lyrics are pleading, but the beat compliments the tone, making it playable everywhere. The haunting confessional last minute whispers away to the final song, "Until I Bleed Out." Tracing back to his original soul-stirring roots, the haunting atmosphere adds some video game-esque synth as the album comes to a saddening end with the lyric "I keep telling myself I don't need it anymore." 

If the original 14 songs on "After Hours" weren't enough, the singer released 3 additional bonus tracks for the deluxe version of the album. "Nothing Compares" brings the smoothest laid-back track with despairing pleas. "Nothing compares to the emptiness that we both share" follows the feelings of being "intoxicated and asphyxiated" without a lover nearby. "Missed You" is another low-key track of trying to hide your feelings of love that never went away. When the lover returns, all is well. The words fade out and recede in the last 30 seconds, letting the track "Final Lullaby" take over. I listen to this every now and then before I go to sleep; its calming effect and tranquilizing words subdue me to sleep.

This album has a little something for everyone on it. Sexy R&B goes hand in hand with inspiring ballads. Compelling pop give way to casual, eerie synth. No matter what event you're heading to with whoever you want, guaranteed that there will be a song that will delight everyone. The lyrical genius and music mastermind that is The Weeknd provides an album to his fans that is the best one yet.

Signed, 
Midwestern Redhead

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