There was for me, anyway-and particularly where it concerned вЂњFaith.вЂќ But in a moment of such discomfiting uncertainty, thereвЂ™s pleasure to be found in the familiar.

Some listeners might ding The Weeknd for his lack of thematic evolution-for retelling old stories and re-airing old anxieties. Production was handled primarily by Metro Boomin, Max Martin, and Illangelo, and from top to bottom their work is slick, inventive, and pristine-вЂ™80s sounds (shimmery synths, snaky brass, ambient undertones) refracted, and polished, to sound modern. And even if he hadnвЂ™t, the time and energy put into After Hours would be palpable. The Weeknd began teasing this album-originally calling it Chapter VI-back in 2018. ItвЂ™s dark and moody, and comes from the perspective of a lonely narrator (appropriately, there are no features)-capturing the way a lot of people are feeling as they pace their living rooms and feverishly refresh the news.Д«ut make no mistake: After Hours was long in the making, not some quickly cobbled together project aimed at capitalizing on a bleak moment. Released this morning, After Hours finds the singer returning to many of his favorite subjects: regrets over his own misbehavior (вЂњHardest to LoveвЂќ), failed romance (the standout вЂњSave Your TearsвЂќ), and dependency (вЂњAlone AgainвЂќ). (вЂњI donвЂ™t like to leave my house too much,вЂќ he said in a recent interview, as if it needed reiterating.)ДЄnd so, itвЂ™s almost a spookily apropos moment for The WeekndвЂ™s superb new album, After Hours. But with the streets all but deserted and humanity isolated, it feels like weвЂ™ve all entered The WeekndвЂ™s dark, solitary universe. That, of course, has not literally happened. But rarely do their worlds forcefully overtake the existing one.

Pop stars like The Weeknd routinely put their stamps on the world.

The weeknd new album tracklist