Last May, after the smashing success of his brilliant album “After Hours” — containing the hit singles “Blinding Lights,” “Save Your Tears,” and “Heartless”–The Weeknd, real name Abel Tesfaye, told the crowd at the Billboard Music Awards that “the dawn [was] coming.” Now, almost a full year later, his fifth full-length studio album is here, and the reviews are in. Pitchfork calls “Dawn FM” “a seamless blend of euphoric disco and ’80s R&B where Tesfaye experiments with pop production and electronic music”. The New York Times describes the album as a “sleek and vigorous and also, again, a light reimagining of what big-tent music might sound like now, in an era when most global stars have abandoned the concept,” and Under the Radar calls it “a solid chapter in the story of an artist who continues to unabashedly defy expectations.”
Produced by Calvin Harris, Swedish House Mafia, and Oscar Holter, “Dawn FM” proves to be The Weeknd’s most grandiose project to date. A sixteen-track album with a range of different length songs, “Dawn FM” juxtaposes love with cynicism, catchy pop hooks with nihilist blues, and soul-inspired music with spoken-word poetry. While “After Hours” was a record meant to be danced along to, “Dawn FM” is an introspective on the meaning of life and destruction that is filled with hidden gems and unexpected masterpieces. Here, Tesfaye takes the self-destruction that was so apparent on his previous work and adds themes of oblivion to it, showing a side to him that was unseen on previous records. Features from Jim Carrey, Quincy Jones, Lil Wayne, and Tyler, the Creator add to the album’s sonic versatility. It is narrated by Jim Carrey, who plays a radio host. Tesfaye has described the record in an interview with Billboard as a concept of sorts, stating, “picture the album being like the listener is dead. And they’re stuck in this purgatory state, which I always imagined would be like being stuck in traffic waiting to reach the light at the end of the tunnel. And while you’re stuck in traffic, they got a radio station playing in the car, with a radio host guiding you to the light and helping you transition to the other side”.
In addition to providing listeners with an experience that explores the multifaceted concepts of life and death, Tesfaye maintains the ’80s influence that has shown through in his music since his rise to fame. Not only does it maintain his signature ‘80s vibe, his album is charting well, too. “Dawn FM” tops the UK and Australian Billboard charts, and it’s set to debut at No. 1 in the US as well. Tesfaye launched the album release with a Twitch livestream where he and his fans listened to the record together. Additionally, the album is not currently available in any physical format, and Tesfaye stated on Twitter that the impact this will have on sales and chart success “doesn’t matter” to him, continuing, “What matters is getting to experience the album together with the fans during these times.”