The Weeknd’s latest album has somehow taken us into the future whilst simultaneously taken us back in time. His fourth studio album is titled After Hours and he has certainly taken this latest venture as yet another opportunity to reinvent himself and his sound. With hints of techno-pop along with the nostalgic sounds of 80’s synthesizers imbedded into his latest singles, The Weeknd has used this album to show himself vulnerable and even explore some new territory stemming from his creative process.
After Hours consists of 14 tracks with a listening time of just under an hour. The album’s sound is almost like an acid trip (most of us won’t know what that feels like, so, use your imagination). It’s all sort of psychedelic in nature, and likely done this way with intent. Apart from the deviation in sound, and certainly with some exceptions, much of what is there isn’t all that different from his usual source material. The Weeknd has evolved yes, but with After Hours we still get homages to his self-depreciative attitude along with the feel of his early R&B tones that fans have become accustomed to since he broke into the mainstream years back. The album is basically a mixture of all these things, the old and the new, but done so in way that exudes freshness and perhaps even opens himself to a larger market. For fans that have followed him since the beginning this will all be apparent, but for new listeners the music will ring out in other forms as The Weeknd shows the multitude of different influences from films that have made it into the album. Being that he himself is a character all his own not often seen by the industry this should come as no surprise, and anyone who should choose to view any of the latest music videos from After Hours will put two and two together on where he has drawn creativity from this time around.
After Hours consists of 14 tracks with a listening time of just under an hour.
There is definitely a healthy mixture of different sounds and production quality across the board, but some songs are more consistent in style with one another more than the entirety of the record. “WOW” has contended that much of the latter half of the album is true in this regard with tracks like Faith, Blinding Lights, In Your Eyes, and of course the song for which the album is titled, After Hours. Blinding Lights has hit charts hard, especially in the United States, Canada, and the UK, always hanging up at the top of the list. The track itself is an anomaly, blending both 80’s nostalgia and perhaps even a splash of sci-fi, almost as if the track could’ve featured as the tagline for Grand Theft Auto: Vice City or maybe even Blade Runner 2049. The other tracks are just as worth exploring, as the listener will find themselves in state that can only be described as hallucinogenic euphoria.
Very few artists of today can depart from what made them famous in the first place. This doesn’t apply to The Weeknd. His versatility and willingness to experiment are what keeps him the limelight while also keeping his fans guessing amongst themselves about what they can expect to hear from the recording artist in his next album. After Hours is currently available for purchase, and is also streaming on Spotify along with the deluxe version of the album which features artists such as the Chromatics, Lil Uzi Vert, The Blaze etc.
