The Weeknd Album Review

Abel Tesfaye, otherwise known as The Weeknd, is an R&B artist whose debut seven years ago with “House of Balloons” set the stage for other artists to copy his style of dark, prolific lyrics over throbbing baselines. His 2018 album, “My Dear Melancholy,” is an homage to this sound and an epic soul-bearing that differs from the popcentric, made for radio albums “Starboy” and “Beauty Behind the Madness” released previously.

Critics and fans alike pondered if lines such as, “I almost cut a piece of myself for your life/Guess I was just another pit stop/’Til you made up your mind” and “And even though you put my life through hell/I can’t seem to forget ’bout you’” allude to Abel’s Tesfaye highly publicized past relationships with Selena Gomez and Bella Hadid.

Abel Tesfaye utilizes big sounds from Skrillex, Mike WILL Made-It, Daft Punk and even uses a sound byte from “Kill Bill” to bolster his signature style and make for some seriously groundbreaking music.

He teased the release of his new mini-album with several soundless, stylistic videos to reflect his dark music with equally as dark visuals.

Dakoda Ogle, 18, said, “Brilliant! The album, ‘My Dear Melancholy,’ expressed emotion on a level unmatched by most if not all sad albums. I personally find this album extremely satisfying for its sheer small size. The ability to convey thoughts over such little time is a true talent show by The Weeknd. Overall I loved the album and would recommend it to anyone going through rough times.”

This direction boasts a return to what made him famous in the first place-murky, compelling lyrics and party anthem beats.