Deep Dive: The Weeknd Part Three (After Hours)

    A weird story before we begin this deep dive. I had a dream last night that I was talking to The Weeknd. We were talking about how Billboard ranked "Blinding Lights" as the number one song ever, and The Weeknd was like "I don't see how?" and I said "because of it's crazy longevity. It's such an amazing song that appeals to music critics and audiences." And then I woke up. So that is how I feel about our obvious elephant in the room from this album. Hahaha! It was such a random dream though I was plotting this Deep Dive before I went to sleep. With that, let's get into it!

    Our introductory track to this body of work is "Alone Again." A slow burning creeper of a song that lets us in on the album's main themes of loathing and self-isolation right from the beginning. It builds up after each minute of the song. It's definitely an intriguing track to open with as its neither a banger or an intro. But it is an introduction. The slow burn works in the records favor and helps us take off seamlessly when we get into the next track, "Too Late." "Alone Again" is creepy and pretty much the title track of the cover art. It all just screams Halloween, and I love it so much.

    "Too Late," on the other hand, is glossy and seamless. It's pretty much candy-coated darkness. Which is a new flavor we don't get served that often. The outro is also cool and creepy. The vocal effects add a whole other layer to the song. The Weeknd always takes his production to new heights, and "Too Late" is just a countless example of this. It may not be easy to perform live or sing along to, but it is a thrill to listen to and experience.

    "Hardest to Love" is the single that got away. It should have been a hit. Instead, it is a delicious deep cut for those of us that are album freaks and obsessed with a particular album's sound. The Weeknd sounds so emotional and great here. A highlight of vocal performances right here on this song. The record cracks are such a great addition to add to the overall vibe of the album along with those After Hours synths that make the record such an out-freaking-standing record. Then we segway into "Scared to Live."

    It sounds like a funeral starting out with that organ(?). "Scared to Live" and "Hardest to Love" have to be sister songs. The evidence? That transition from both songs and lyrically they're like different sides of the same coin. It feels like a continuation of the story. I think "Scared to Live" may be Weeknd's best vocal performance on the album though. He shows such range and emotion. 

    "Snowchild" is beautiful and is the production and artist flexing their strengths in the best way possible. He drops so many references in it which make the lyrics fun to analyze. To me, the track sounds like the future of R&B which has embraced certain pop sensibilities fully, but it will always be R&B. I think this song showcases all of what The Weeknd is about in that regard. There's the famous Grammy controversy involving After Hours where The Weeknd was really, really, REALLY snubbed because they apparently weren't for sure if he was pop or R&B. Which... is really one of the most excuses of all time. You can't box him into a category, for sure, but you can also say The Weekend celebrates so many genres through his work. And he should be rewarded and appreciated for that. And "Snowchild" really showcases that.

    "Escape From LA" continues to showcase how the artist is a genre bender. And it's really entertaining. I think you could argue out of so many artists today, The Weeknd is so great at building and creating atmosphere with sound. And the creepiness and dreariness is soooooo cool!!! And it never will not be! It's sexy and haunting!

   Our lead single, "Heartless," is sonically a thrill. And that opening line is so confident and hilarious. Which is unlike most of the record. Though the chorus brings us back to the main themes. Maybe it's kind of like a red herring for the rest of the record? There's glimpses into our main themes here though like the "swimming with the sharks" line on the second verse. "Heartless" just hits a different way that "Blinding Lights" though they're like cousins. Both very good, career-highlight songs.

    "Faith" picks up where "Heartless" leaves but puts us back on track with the rest of the record. Though the second half of this album is more lively than the first. I guess the later part of the night is as well! The iconic falsetto is nice on the song. It features it the most here. Two thumbs up!

    Everybody knows "Blinding Lights." There's nothing that's not cool about it. It gives Stranger Things-vibes. Totally 80s. Totally fantastic. Totally changes the face of pop music forever. The A game is present here from all sounds from vocals to music to lyrics. A crazy good hook. The bridge can bring the dead back to life. And my feelings for this song pretty much exists at the top of the article. Though I can't stop praising it enough.

    "In Your Eyes," our 3rd single, continues our blatantly 80s fun. It's poppy. It's fun. The vibe is a completely departure from the first half of the record though the melancholy isn't entirely absent. The chorus is a tad bit weaker in the hook and lyrics department here. But the music makes up for it.

    "Save Your Tears" is that song. The guitar riff on the track makes it. The chorus is a record highlight. Even the remix adds a lot of depth to it. The solo version that is featured right here on the album is still amazing. The pre-chorus is so fun. It's a bit of hope among the sadness though it also acknowledges the sadness. I'm so glad this song became a hit! It just speaks to the quality and originality of the record!

    "Repeat After Me (Interlude)" has the same vibes as "Scared to Live." A lot of similarities there. Same creepiness. It really melds the first and second halves together. 

    "After Hours" sounds like a horror movie. So COOL. Really heavy lyrical subject too. The sparseness of the first verse leads us into a haunting chorus. The vibe is awesome. It has the same feel and progression as "Alone Again." Like that slow burn that builds into a refreshing climax. I think we're really leaning into the album's visual concept with this song.

    Speaking of visual concept even the title of "Until I Bleed Out" shows us the concept once more. The intro builds until The Weeknd longingly sings the opening lyrics. His vocal technique sounds so tired which goes along with it. This is our original album ender. It's also interesting in the way like how "Alone Again" is the opening. Both the songs want you to focus on the lyrics as highlighted and pointed to with the production. And it does a good job.

    "Nothing Compares" has some really neat synths at the beginning! This is a great song. The echo vocal effects adds to it overall. The chorus is nice and overall the song is a good fit on After Hours. 

    "Missed You" our second bonus track has that same "Scared to Live," "Repeat After Me" opening vibe. Which makes me wonder if this song contributes to like a trilogy overarching story or something. And it makes sense in the long run lyrically! I think they're all about the same person.

    And finally, our last track, "Final Lullaby." It's cool! The tone here is like a scary indie video game. It just puts a nice bow on everything. The opening lyrics are haunting. It sounds so clean. So 80s. So retro computer. It's not as dense as the other tracks on the album, but that helps it to stand out!

    Overall, I always enjoy After Hours. It's such a great album and produced to freshly-baked perfection. I listen to it around Halloween a lot. Which is crazy that it was released in March of 2020. Max Martin and Metro Boomin are all over the record, and you can hear their genius influence all over it. What binds it all together though? The Weeknd himself. There's not one guest feature here unless you count Ariana Grande on the deluxe version of the album. It's The Weeknd making a statement, and a statement he does make. The overarching sound is possibly the most interesting thing about the album. There's so many interesting things, but the sound is at the pinnacle. As is with most Weeknd products. The singles stick out and feel like obvious choices. Which isn't a bad thing. But you can categorize the album in two parts: singles and non-singles. There's not much that blend the two together. Or many radio-hit deep cuts. I hope you all have enjoyed this listen through as much as I have! Because it's been fun, and I'm in the mood for Halloween now!

Rank: A...fter Hours Rank.

Recommendation: for the After Hours times.

Standouts:

    The singles

    Too Late

    Hardest to Love

    Scared to Live