Dawn FM
*“You are now listening to 103.5 Dawn FM. You’ve been in the dark for way too long. It’s time to walk into the light and accept your fate with open arms. Scared? Don’t worry. We’ll be there to hold your hand and guide you through this painless transition. But what’s the rush? Just relax and enjoy another hour of commercial ‘free yourself’ music on 103.5 Dawn FM. Tune in.”* The Weeknd\'s previous album *After Hours* was released right as the world was falling into the throes of the pandemic; after scrapping material that he felt was wallowing in the depression he was feeling at the time, *Dawn FM* arrives as a by-product of—and answer to—that turmoil. Here, he replaces woeful introspection with a bit of upbeat fantasy—the result of creatively searching for a way out of the claustrophobic reality of the previous two years. With the experience of hosting and curating music for his very own MEMENTO MORI radio show on Apple Music as his guiding light, *Dawn FM* is crafted in a similar fashion, complete with a DJ to set the tone for the segments within. “It’s time to walk into the light and accept your fate with open arms,” the host, voiced by Jim Carrey, declares on the opening track. “Scared? Don\'t worry.” Indeed, there is nothing to fear. The Weeknd packs the first half with euphoric bursts that include the Swedish House Mafia-assisted “How Do I Make You Love Me?” and “Sacrifice.” On the back half, he moves into the more serene waters of “Is There Someone Else?” and “Starry Eyes.” Despite the somewhat morose album cover, which reflects what many feel like as they wade through the seemingly endless purgatory of a life dictated by a virus, he’s aiming for something akin to hope in all of this gloom.
Conceptualized around listening to a retro-pop radio station in purgatory, Abel Tesfaye’s fifth album is the most thoughtful, melodic, and revealing project of his career.
Abel Tesfaye marks a period of reflection with perhaps his most mature, emotionally robust collection yet. Oh, and Jim Carrey narrates it
An upbeat The Weeknd perfects his pop formula on Dawn FM, a radio show for the end of the world
Billed as the successor to 2019’s acclaimed 'After Hours,' Abel Tesfaye’s fifth studio LP transcends dynamic pop grandeur…
New record is a self-knowing contradiction to The Weeknd’s past celebrations of impermanence via one-night stands and sleazy affairs. Now he understands, even regrets, his flighty behaviour
The Weeknd knows what we need right now and it's an album of pure dance party escapism. Read our review of 'Dawn FM'
Instead of scrambled voices like those heard on the OPN album, Dawn FM features recurrent announcements from Jim Carrey as a serene and faintly creepy character, or maybe himself, intonating end-of-life entertainment and counsel.
It's rare to be able to acknowledge the presence of an all-time great while they're still in their prime, but when an artist has made it as...
Five albums and over a decade into his career, and there are certain things a listener might come to expect when first listening to a new album by The Weeknd.
On the cover of Dawn FM, the fifth studio album by The Weeknd (born Abel Tesfaye), we see the 31-year-old pop star depicted as a cryptically aged relic complete with silver strands, wrinkles, liver spots, and a bewildered look of despair.
It turns out Abel Tesfaye wasn't done with his latest era. ‘After Hours’ (2020) propelled 80s revivalism forward, introducing a glossier
Abel Tesfaye goes to the brink, and back to the 80s, on his most cohesive album yet
The Weeknd is back, and with Oneohtrix Point Never and Max Martin lending production magic, Dawn FM is some of his best work yet
The Weeknd’s fifth album, ‘Dawn FM,’ plays out like a series of radio transmissions from the afterlife. Read our review.
Dawn FM by The Weeknd album review by Jahmeel Russell. The full-length is now available via Republic Records/XO and streaming services
If this is the end for the Weeknd, what a way to bow out. Abel Tesfaye confirms his status as an all-time great with an album of icy 80s-inflected splendour
The maverick musician has shaped pop with his haunting sound and provocative themes. Now he’s sending Jim Carrey on a journey through death