EP REVIEW: The Weeknd — My Dear Melancholy (2018)
AMS RATING..
B+
This sounds like my favorite era of The Weeknd that I really never thought I would hear again.
I love the pop sound on Abel’s recent output almost as much as his early work. This new project is a slight departure from that sound while still managing to have his pop appeal.
My expectations were already high, but after hearing the opening track, Call Out My Name, I was floored with excitement.
While sonically it sounds like his older work, lyrically it’s actually quite different. Mixtape Abel was confident, a little cocky, and self-aware. He was seemingly going through some dark times but he was able to still say “fuck it” because everything negative happening in his life was below him. The old era of The Weeknd and this new era we’re hearing are both sad. But the sadness in the Trilogy series was less about people leaving him and more about being someone that hurts himself and the people around him. On this new project, The Weeknd sounds vulnerable and the sadness he’s feeling is from him being hurt by past relationships. He’s devastated. It’s unfortunate to hear. But damn did it make him write some great songs about it. Those self-aware songs are definitely not missing from this project. Hurt You sounds like Abel is giving a warning to a woman that might be interested in him. Abel is making it clear that he is not interested in love.
It’s no secret that The Weeknd’s writing formula consists mostly of lyrics about sex and drugs. While some might say it’s cliché or lazy at this point, I think that he does a great job at making these references. In the closing track, Privilege, you hear The Weeknd using a reference from The Matrix as a way to talk about his use of prescription painkillers as a way to suppress his emotional pain.
I attributed Abel’s departure from his old and dark sound to his new found fame and fortune. It made me think that the money just made everything better. You hear it the most on his most recent LP, Starboy. He sounds like he’s in a good place for the most part. My Dear Melancholy is the harsh reality that money and fame can only do so much for your happiness. Money doesn’t prevent heartbreak.
I’m a huge Gesaffelstein fan, the French techno artist with excellent solo work as well as production on Kanye West’s album, Yeezus. I was very excited to see that he has some production on this project. You can hear his contribution immediately on I Was Never There with the screeching synthesizer that Gesaffelstein is known so well for. While I loved his sounds and thought it fit the production on this project perfectly, I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if these are just random chords that he had just lying around. There’s nothing new here from Gesaf. Especially on the closing to Hurt You, where it sounds almost like a softer remake of Hellifornia off his LP, Aleph. This isn’t entirely bad though as it was still exciting to hear his signature sound. I just wish there was some fresh sounds from him to get me excited for some new solo work from him. Guy Manuel of Daft Punk also has a hand in production on Hurt You alongside Gesaffelstein but I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I really don’t notice anything that stands out as being produced by someone from Daft Punk. Maybe it’s the drums considering that it sounds very similar to Starboy, which was produced by Daft Punk. It sure would have been sweet to hear some of those classic Daft Punk vocoders in the background while Abel sings the chorus.
You can also find electronic music producer, Skrillex, on Wasted Times. Produced alongside Frank Dukes, this is easily my favorite beat on the project. Skrillex’s vocal affects in the background and during the chorus is what makes this track so great, along with Abel’s incredible flow throughout. This song has everything I love about The Weeknd across his entire discography. It’s dark like his old music that I’ve said I love the most, and it has the pop appeal that is so driving on Starboy.
This is a project that you can listen to alone in a car late at night and just cry. Even if you can’t relate. Sonically and lyrically this project makes you feel the way The Weeknd feels.
