Why review this album?
2020 was hard to live through but ‘After Hours’ made it a little easier. The catchy chorus and beat of ‘Blinding Lights’ was everywhere last year from Tik Tok to commercials. In fact, the main impetus for getting this review out now is the Super Bowl where The Weeknd will be headlining the halftime show. (Of course, I am still hoping and praying that Daft Punk will make an appearance; some of you may know that I actually have a Daft Punk concert savings account in the hopes that the robotic duo announce a tour or even a singular show.) However, my love for Daft Punk is neither here nor there—let’s dive into the review!
Alone Again
Aptly named, ‘Alone Again’ is a somber start to the album. Heavy reverb on The Weeknd’s voice creates a dark, foreboding, 1980’s atmosphere that I expect will likely be perpetuated through the rest of the album. Really heavy ‘Bladerunner’ and ‘Bladerunner 2049’ vibes here. Then you get a classic trap beat with the hi-hats to close this out and bring us back into 2020/2021. Love the way this kicks off.
7 out of 10
Too Late
The first 30 seconds sound like a direct continuation and then the moment the beat drops, ‘Too Late’ turns into a clear evolution of the same atmospheric motif. If ‘Alone Again’ sets the mood and tells the story, ‘Too Late’ is the distillation you want to hear again. I’m a fan.
8 out of 10
Hardest To Love
The intro is so well-produced; you get sweeping 80’s synths with a touch of warble and artificial vinyl crackle—it really puts you in the 1980’s nostalgic mode. However, the rest of the song has a more breakbeat with similarly modern melodic patterns. This juxtaposition works so well in this song, creating a sweet poppy yet interesting tune. The last 30 seconds of this song are just relatively strange sounds, I honestly wish the song ended earlier.
8 out of 10
Scared To Live
‘Scared To Live’ is an homage to the classic ballads of the 1980’s. Think ‘November Rain’ except by The Weeknd. Now, ballads aren’t typically my cup of tea, I’ve just always found them lacking a bit in terms of content. Therefore, I think I’m inherently discounting the quality of this track but can certainly appreciate the clear talent that is on display here.
7 out of 10
Snowchild
Okay, this one goes back to style established in the latter half of ‘Alone Again’: trap beats with hissing hi-hats on top of a synth melody and chords. I really like the space that this song creates. It starts out feeling a bit intimate with The Weeknd singing directly to you but this opens up with a grand transition to the chorus. This shifting continues through the song giving the illusion of breathing. Another great track by The Weeknd.
8 out of 10
Escape From LA
Look don’t get me wrong, if I had listened to ‘Escape From LA’ in the middle of a shuffle-augmented trip to my ‘Discover Weekly’ playlist, I probably would have enjoyed it more. However, as the sixth song in a The Weeknd album, it just sounds like more of the same. Sorry, I don’t get what this adds.
6 out of 10
Heartless
Okay, here we go. This is much higher energy than anything before this song on the album. Metro Boomin’s fingerprints are all over this song. ‘Heartless’ is the type of braggadocious anthem that made me start to like The Weeknd (e.g. ‘Starboy’) and this wouldn’t be a The Weeknd album without one. Love this song.
9 out of 10
Faith
Mixing and mastering on this song, especially the intro is so good I checked to see if this was Oneohtrix Point Never. Drums are crisp and the synths are rich and lush while The Weeknd sings about suicide, overdosing, losing religion: typical The Weeknd lyrical fodder. Still a good song nonetheless. I also really liked the end/interlude with sounds of the city. Very ethereal.
7 out of 10
Blinding Lights
Look, I get it. You’ve already heard this song too many times; nothing I write here will reveal anything about this song to you. Still, it’s a really really good song.
9 out of 10
In Your Eyes
The synths really drive this one, making a really funky and danceable pop joint. This honestly sounds a lot similar to most of the songs in the first half of the album but the more up-beat melody helps lift this one above its brethren. Also, the sax solo slaps.
8 out of 10
Save Your Tears
A breath of fresh air; ‘Save Your Tears’ is a guitar-driven, snare-heavy tune that brings us back to pop-genre terra firma. I know this one was also pretty popular but I’m surprised it didn’t reach the same heights of ‘Blinding Lights’.
8 out of 10
Repeat After Me (Interlude)
As interludes usually tend to be, ‘Repeat After Me’ is a down-tempo change of pace from the breakneck pace set by the last few songs. There is a lot more meat on the bone than your typical interlude. I actually surprisingly like this one more than I thought I would.
8 out of 10
After Hours
I don’t think I really like this song but it’s hard to tell. Again, you have top production quality here and The Weeknd’s voice is compelling. Some of the synths here are fresh out of Daft Punk’s repertoire. However, I think this song is too stretched out—if The Weeknd compressed this song’s 6:00 runtime to more of a 4:00, I think it would be far more engaging
7 out of 10
Until I Bleed Out
‘Until I Bleed Out’ is very reminiscent of a cinematic score with The Weeknd happening to sing on it. I think that this is really fitting since clearly there is a visual identity to the album as demonstrated in the various music videos. So, thematically I get it, and I appreciate the song itself, I just don’t love it.
6 out of 10
Summary
This album is for fans of the 1980’s and fans of The Weeknd; this is sure to be a favorite for the decent part of the population that sits in the middle of the Venn diagram. As such, a lot of the songs on this album, quite frankly, sound the same. While some of the songs on here are absolutely fantastic in their own right, I just feel that the lack of spice and variety in this album brings the whole thing down a tad.