Rejecting the fast-paced nature of LA, The Weeknd sets his foot down in this track not only with his lyrics but the beat as well. In “Escape from LA,” he meditates on the superficiality and toxicity of the coastal California city and his relationship with an unnamed woman. No stranger to calling out his exes in his music, this album is no exception.

Yet, despite the album’s drastically different sound, The Weeknd still dwells on his usual hedonistic subject matter. With its rapid keys and speedy drums, the track is fitting of the climax music to a blockbuster flick, making it hard for any listener to not bob their head while it’s playing. And perhaps the highlight of the album is the catchy and energetic “Blinding Lights,” which was initially released as a single in January. Similarly, “In Your Eyes”’s initial beat channels an ‘80s vibe with a faint jazz tone that eventually erupts into a full-blown saxophone solo. In “Hardest to Love,” the track fluctuates between an airy, melodic rhythm with soft electronic keys and a quick tempo whose beat drops keep listeners on their toes. Though most tracks bounce around between rhythms and pace (from the low key “Escape From LA” to the more pop “Blinding Lights”) the album has an overall brighter, more vibrant tone than his previous projects. Highly unpredictable, “Alone Again” sets the stage for the rest of the experimental album, guiding listeners through jazz solos, upbeat jams, and ‘80s feels. But, towards the two-minute mark, the track’s rhythm changes altogether, moving into a faster-paced trap beat paired with his autotuned, echoed vocals. This is not new for the Canadian artist, however, as he channeled similar energy in Kiss Land, stating that he derived inspiration from the likes of filmmakers John Carpenter and Sir Ridley Scott. Later on in the track, the key notes are layered with a deep bass and heavy reverb, transitioning into a more ominous feel, similar to that of a horror film score. The album’s initial track, “Alone Again,” begins with a flurry of synthesized key notes paired with crackling and static feedback that adds a muffled effect, calling back to his sound in songs like “The Birds, Pt.

And now, two years after My Dear Melancholy, The Weeknd has returned to the limelight with more breathy, electrifying jams in After Hours. Since then, the R&B artist has put out numerous projects all with varying sounds, from the eerie Kiss Land to the more upbeat Starboy. Abel Tesfaye, most commonly known by his stage name The Weeknd, first emerged onto the music scene in 2011 with his debut project House of Balloons, later released as a part of his trifecta of mixtapes Trilogy.

The weeknd new album ratings