By: NATHANIEL ROBINSON
Singer/Songwriter, The Weeknd, has always been known for his euphoric and encapturing melodies and production. However, one thing that an average listener fails to take in is his incredibly sad and desperate lyricism; particularly in his 2020 album “After Hours.” After Hours tells a story of a very in-and-out relationship saturated by drug dependence and adultery. Even in his most popular and upbeat track “Blinding Lights” where he’s in the middle of a drug trip and lost in Vegas; begging for his lover to take him back because he “can’t sleep until I feel your touch.” A song that has over a billion streams on Spotify, and yet what so many people mistake to be a moment of romantic love and fun in sin city is actually a cry for help. At the beginning of the album, Abel’s [Weeknd’s first name] first track “Alone Again” sets the scene. A man willing to do and buy anything for a woman because he’s scared of being alone. The repetition of some of his lyrics here really sells the point of view he’s speaking from. An act of desperation to feel something instead of feeling “alone.” As the album progresses we see a relationship develop between The Weeknd and this woman, and though it’s obvious that it’s never a healthy one, there’s an odd comfort that comes from songs like “Hardest To Love.” In the said song, Abel talks about how he already sees the relationship breaking and how he knows that this woman is trying to leave him. A seemingly odd choice for this album was Abel’s inclusion of “Snowchild”; a track right after Hardest To Love where he speaks on his upbringing and current state as a celebrity. While some may argue that this breaks the pace of the story this album is telling, I believe it’s a great reflection and rest from what’s happening. However; The Weeknd’s money fails and he isn’t able to love this woman as much as he promised he would. In “Escape From LA” The Weeknd (in the story, not in real life) cheats on his girl with someone he met at a recording studio. This marks the beginning of his downfall. We see in another popular track “Heartless”, where Abel has completely given up on everything; getting into heavy drug abuse and having relations with other women to fill this void he just can’t seem to fill. This is where the previously mentioned “Blinding Lights” comes to play, where he seems to be sorry. He wants this woman back desperately. She is unfortunately no longer interested in him and seems to have her own demons that she’s hiding according to the track “In Your Eyes.” The fallout continues until the final track “Until I Bleed Out,” where there are heavy hints that The Weeknd (again, in the story) has killed himself or is in the middle of doing so. This album is incredibly overlooked when people talk about story-driven music. I believe that there’s much to take from this masterpiece that Able has put together. The story isn’t one we’ve never heard before, but it’s still impressive when you realize that this coherent story is being told through music almost effortlessly. The sound Abel adopts for this project is also amazing. This is where he began to play with older sounds; specifically from the ’80s and ’90s. These sounds blend in well with his voice to create some of the best music heard in the last decade.