The Weeknd’s fourth, and possibly best, album, After Hours was a record hit, staying atop the Billboard 200 for four straight weeks. And after listening, I fully understand why. Retro, aesthetic, self-referencing, and irresistible are just a couple of ways to describe this fourteen track creation. The album explores several motifs such as loneliness and heartbreak but despite the heavy topics, each song gets your foot tapping or your head bopping. 

(Below, the album cover)

Throughout the near hour, Abel Tesfaye (The Weeknd’s real name) makes it clear that he is not the hero in the story he tells. In fact, his actions are despicable and embody that of every villain characterized in several Taylor Swift songs. Despite this, the main character is charismatic in a way, drawing the listener in and keeping them seated. His character is aware of his flaws, the main one being breaking hearts through infidelity and emotional coldness. The album is not a fully fledged story with a beginning, middle, and end, but rather a collection of experiences and realizations, all of which have occurred post-breakup. For instance, Track 1 “Alone Again” explores the most prominent theme of loneliness, hence the title. What’s interesting how Tesfaye delves into loneliness is that his obsession over his former lover is not really about what kind of person they were, but rather out of a fear and dislike of being alone. He always sings about how he messed up and how his actions have caused him to regress back into a hedonistic, self-possessed person but the songs are never about her, only about him. The only exception to this would be “Save Your Tears”, the best song on the album as well as the one where he accepts that there is someone better for his ex than he. This doesn’t last long, however, as the hypnotic Track 12 “Repeat After Me (Interlude)” highlights a problematic delusion of bringing this person back into his life, trying to convince her that she still loves him.

The musicality of the album is near unmatched, with every song having an undeniable groove that grips the listener’s ears. After Hours marked a shift in The Weeknd’s normal style, including more “new wave” and “dream pop” elements into R&B. He infuses elements of the pop styles of the 80s, highlighting a retro-ness that is especially present in Track 9 “Blinding Lights.” The public has clearly loved this as the song has amassed over 4 billion streams on Spotify. (Below, a screen shot of Spotify streams)

Apart from just the music, Tesfaye has certainly played into the cinematic side of his art, releasing music videos where his character is in a dashing red suit which is also seen in the cover.

Personally, I believe there is 1 skip: Track 6, “Escape From LA”. Although I enjoyed the message and how it ties in with the previous song (“Snowchild”) in his desperate desire to leave the corrupting influences of California, I wasn’t compelled to rewind it like I felt with the other tracks. With that being said, I think this album is indeed worthy of its praise and I place it as number 3 on my list.