After Hours - Album Review

What first got me hooked on The Weeknd was the dark and eerie Trilogy album that he first came out with. The beats were a grand fuse of RnB, pop and rock. The reverbed crisp vocals left me feeling hollow on the inside, this is something I liked extremely. Even though Beauty Behind The Madness and Starboy weren't exactly to my taste with their increasingly pop sound I can't deny that they have some songs that can make it onto anyone's Top 100 of the 2010s.

With this at the back of my mind I expected to come out with only a handful of palatable songs from After Hours especially since I didn't like the lead single Heartless, his blood-red new look with the beard and busted nose. Suffice to say I had a negative mindset towards the album but because I'm a loyal fan, I thought I’d give it a chance regardless.

Just like the aforementioned LPs there is a mix of good and decent songs. On Scared To Live Abel talks of an estranged lover who has to find a way to go on living without him after he mistreated her. The vocals are smooth and crisp over a clean beat that has a sample of Elton John's Song For You.

On closer inspection, Heartless is actually a massive track! The bass is terrifying, almost coming out of nowhere after a mellow intro. There's a line I found funny where he says "I've been running through the pussy, need a dog pound". He really is back on his BS.

My personal favourite is In Your Eyes where Abel is on the receiving end of a loveless relationship but instead of acknowledging it, he'd rather pretend he doesn't notice anything. This is by far the most 80s The Weeknd has ever been. Right off the bat, the funky drums kick-in and the synth takes off on a step-side-to-side tune, sounds like something that would come out of a Daft Punk album. The saxophone outro is an absolute gem my only problem being that it didn't go on for longer.

Blinding Lights is the second single released leading to the debut of the album. This song is a little tricky to figure out because the lyrics could easily be interpreted as a plea for a lover to come back or a call for another drug sustained night that results in photophobia, it's up to you really (I like the drugs narrative better). The beat is characterised by a sample of Rod Stewart's Young Turks and, again, the 80s make a prominent feature on the album. What's really cool with these samples is that none of them are a straight cut rip-off (because all samples are rip-offs), they run parallel to the original in terms of mood but don’t count on them (the originals) to carry the song through.

The pacing of the album is a little off for me. The attention building Alone Again is sufficiently succeeded by Too Late then you get a stint where you find you have a string of sit-down-and-listen songs then a get-up-and-dance one then again a sit-down. It sort of messes the mood because you’re less willing to be pumped up after being taken down then up then down again.

The song Escape From LA is quite underwhelming. The hook feels half done and the second verse gets a little cringe where he talks about "having everything I want except you". YIKES! Even I know not to use that line. He then proceeds to provide us with an unsolicited sex scene at the end; not sure what that was about…

The interlude Repeat After Me is basically a wellness check, sounds a lot like something Drake would do but then again he used to write for Drake so there's that. 

On the track Snowchild, Abel reflects on the journey that is his career since the release of Trilogy which is a lot considering that he has released 3 full-length albums, but this reflection lasts only one verse. He goes on to mention how his sound has changed, how the girl he’s with likes his sound, and of course, his level of success. There's a line I like that says "I just signed a new deal with Mercedes, Got me moving dirty like I'm Swayze, All my diamonds dancing like they Swayze".

I must say that I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed listening to this album. It's really easy to get through. On a bad day it's a 6.8, you'll probably skip the less upbeat songs. On a good day it's a solid 7.8, you'll get through it in what feels like a minute.