After Hours
Abel Tesfaye finally delivers on his long-running vision, leveraging a self-loathing villain into an irresistible, cinematic narrative with his most satisfying collision of new wave, dream pop, and R&B.
The Weeknd's new album 'After Hours' is Abel Tesfaye's most all-encompassing record to date, free of features and full of solitary self-reflection
Nearly a decade into singing the same horny, drugged up blues, The Weeknd seems bored of his own shtick.
Review at a glanceAs this self-isolation period kicks in, think of poor Abel Tesfaye, the Canadian singer who, as The Weeknd, usually spends his songs whizzing around city streets in expensive cars, taking staggering quantities of drugs and having sex with a large number of interchangeable cover girls.
‘After Hours’ abandons the danceability of its predecessor ‘Starboy’ in favour of moody introspection
The first two singles off After Hours were released within three days of each other in November 2019.
The Weeknd has remained Toronto's biggest musical enigma since stepping out onto the scene with his House of Balloons debut in 2011. Despite...
'After Hours’ has finally dropped after a long year of being in the works. The Weeknd’s fourth studio album is a mixture of the usual dark
The Weeknd's 'After Hours' explores new levels of sonic innovation, expanding on old themes while finding new shades of emotional maturity.
Abel Tesfaye's, a. the Weeknd's, decade's worth of work has always been confident in its aesthetic purpose
Abel Tesfaye is starting to show remorse for his failed relationships – but only a little bit – on this wonderfully varied yet cohesive record
Adopting a newfound transgressive compass, After Hours finds the Weeknd enlisting the wizardry of Oneohtrix Point Never’s Daniel Lopatin, fresh from scoring the critically acclaimed Uncut Gems, and forging a partnership that serendipitously evolved from both their involvement in the Safdie brothers’ film.
Fourth album from R&B superstar impresses after a slow start. Review by Thomas H Green.