By Socratis Santik Oglou,
It has been quite some time since The Weeknd has made his debut and became an R&B music star. Going back to 2011, marking his first mixtape titled House of Balloons. A woozy soundtrack to an endless loop of willful couch crashing. Only a year after, Trilogy came to life. An anthem on being an antihero, singing like being the new cool-bad guy in the city, full of existential questions throughout the album. Starboy (2016), which was on an upbeat, club note, compared to his previous works, was perhaps the one album that put The Weeknd on top of the music charts. After Hours, considered his top album, is a dancefloor record, released in 2020 when every dancefloor was in lockdown. It was like an experimental attempt, while following his musical roots, to open up and tell a complete love story and personal demos story on his album.
Now, coming to his latest release, conceptualized around the idea of listening to an old school radio station, The Weeknd’s fifth studio album titled Dawn FM is his most thoughtful, dark, and yet revealing artwork, making a turning point for his career, because of the euphoric disco and ’80s R&B influences, and with its uplifting, but at the same time full of depression beats tracks.
The album starts with a melodic intro, which has the album’s title, almost like you woke up after a long sleep to dawn through the afterlife on a radio vibe. In the first song, “Gasoline”, The Weeknd chants to his lover, “I know you won’t let me OD”, in a sweet tone that makes his partner seem like a guide for him through a spiritual retreat.
On the third place on the album comes “How Do I Make You Love Me”, which is the album’s first really upbeat, up, and down song. “How do I make you fall for me? And make it last eternally”. The Weeknd questions his love life, almost begs for intimacy, and he seems kind of tired of the short-lasting relationships. That is because he wants to know how to make it last eternally.
The previous song fades into“Take My Breath”, the album’s first lead single and hit. In this song, The Weeknd wants his partner to take his breath away so it could last forever, which may be a parallel to the eternal that he strives to find in “How Do I Make You Love Me”.
Fifth on the line there comes the next song: “Sacrifice”, the album’s next single and hit.“I sacrifice your love for more of the night/ I try to put up a fight, can’t tie me down”. In this song, The Weeknd takes a turn on his mindset, at least for now, with this song that vocals fluctuate between Abel’s head and chest voice, while musically it is a full-on club, uplifting beat.
In the midst of the album, Quincy Jones himself comes to infuse the album’s story with his personal life story about solitude and self-exposure in a song titled “A Tale By Quincy”, quickly blending into the next song.
On“Out of Time”, the Michael Jackson influence is at its highest, just like Abel’s vocals, “Say I love you girl, but I’m out of time/Now I can’t keep you from loving him, you made up your mind”.
Next on the list is “Here We Go… Again”, featuring Tyler, The Creator. A slow, easy ballad. “Said you wanted your boyfriend jealous with a couple of pics/And you didn’t expect to fall for me once you get the d***”, singing in his soft notes about the perplexing situation and the circle that he lives with his relationships.“My new girl, she a movie star…”.
“Best Friend” is a song that talks about the relations that Abel holds with his past lovers, while at the same time he refers to his past relationships in this old, inspired song. “Insecure, been a part of toxic love, it tore us apart/ Things you want, I’m not looking, you’re my best friend now”.
Moreover, the intro, interlude, and the outro, are all narrated by Jim Carrey, who serves as a between-worlds radio announcer on the Dawn FM radio station.
After that, the album’s ballad“Starry Eyes” has the story on the verge of implosion.
“Every Angel Is Terrifying” is a song with a long, dark electro intro, ending with like an old TV commercial monologue message about the afterlife, while warning the audience.“You will enter a world beyond your imagination/A future out of control”, a promising, utopian message that matches the album’s concept.
The previous song, shortly after its end, fades into “Don’t Break My Heart”, floating on a lighter, slower note musical, while The Weeknd again talks about his relationship’s hardship and repeats again and again: “Don’t Break My Heart…”.
On track 14, The Weeknd and Lil Wayne go through the surreal of existence in the song“I Heard You’re Married” while ending a story with someone else’s wife.
However, before the album’s outro, “Phantom Regret by Jim” by Jim Carrey, comes the album’s last song titled“Less Than Zero”. A song with a punchy vibe, with highs and lows, despite its dark lyrical meaning, the beat will make you move. ‘”Cause I can’t shake this feeling that’s crawling in my bed/ I try to hide it but I know you know me/ I try to fight it but I’d rather be free”. Lyrics like these remind the mindset that The Weeknd was on in his album After Hours, following the storyline about his heartbreaker and inner demons, which means that he still struggles to let go of his old haunts, regrets, and inner saboteur.
To conclude, musically, Dawn FM mirrors The Weeknd’s music inspiration, style, and roots. The retro radio station soundtracking purgatory infuses the story with a different tone, while the 80s-style pop R&B and the lyrics play with the story with annihilation. The story of Abel Tesfaye behind the lyrics is deeply dark. With the uplifting beats to cover it up, The Weeknd created a different, cohesive album that someone could say is his most experimental era. So, it comes as no surprise for The Weeknd to release another stunning work.
References
- Dawn FM, pitchfork.com, Available here
- The Weeknd Hits a New Peak on ‘Dawn FM’, rollingstone.com, Available here
- Breaking Down DAWN FM, youtube.com, Available here
