THE WEEKND “DAWN FM” REVIEW

The Weeknd (real name Abel Tesfaye) has demonstrated a deep interest in nostalgia ever since his breakthrough year in 2011. The opening track of his third Trilogy mixtape Echoes Of Silence was an Illangelo-produced cover of Michael Jackson’s timeless 1988 hit “Dirty Diana,” but “Wanderlust” from his 2013 debut album Kiss Land was the Toronto native’s first fully realized 1980s pop record.

With songs like “Can’t Feel My Face,” “In The Night,” and “As You Are,” Beauty Behind the Madness expanded on that retro aesthetic. Additionally, after the commercial success of his sophomore album. The Weeknd began incorporating more and more retro sounds into his releases, leading to the string of hit singles like “I Feel It Coming,” “Rockin’,” “Blinding Lights,” and “Save Your Tears” over the past six years.

Abel had already mastered his distinct brand of pop nostalgia when he released “Take My Breath” last August, but the big question heading into the acclaimed singer’s fifth studio album was whether doing so would be a formula that would be both impressive and compelling. The Weeknd made a self-bet with Dawn FM, which will be released on Friday, January 7, 2022, and doubled down on his unique sound while also releasing what is likely his most ambitious commercial effort to date.

If you only listen to the music, Dawn FM is a concept album that, in terms of storytelling, is miles ahead of both After Hours and The Weeknd’s whole record. Dawn FM is more than capable of existing on its own, but his previous studio album, for instance, was far easier to understand by listening to the music in combination with its accompanying images. Despite the fact that you should put the music videos for “Take My Breath,” “Sacrifice,” and “Gasoline” on your watch list, it’s important to note that The Weeknd is able to communicate Dawn FM’s main point through the record’s format and organization.

The album is the music that plays while you’re stranded in the most notorious waiting room of all time: Purgatory. It is set within the transmitted frequency of the fictional, but largely Toronto-inspired, radio station 103.5 Dawn FM. Jim Carrey will be the disc jockey, and he solely intends to play groovy songs by the preferred alternative Canadian popstar.

You are now listening to 103.5 Dawn FM/You’ve been in the dark for way too long/It’s time to walk into the light, which is the person who introduces Dawn FM’s concept on the first track.

Carrey excels in his role and gives one of the most vivid and imaginative album narrations in recent memory. In order to ease listeners into the album experience, Jim Carrey hypnotically requests that they “relax and enjoy another hour of commercial free yourself music.” The song then quickly incorporates religious overtones and the idea of fate. There isn’t a better way to define The Weeknd’s most recent work after serious analysis.

By literally incorporating a commercial into the twelfth track, “Every Angel is Terrifying,” and metaphorically remaining true to the polished, retro pop soundscape that has earned him three 8x platinum singles, the record-breaking artist purposefully set Dawn FM apart from a commercial-free broadcast.

The Weeknd and Jim Carrey openly delve into the album’s more existential themes, from human tendencies like longing for acceptance from others and regretting one’s past to mortal concerns like the significance of life and what happens after people die. This “free yourself” aspect is what distinguishes Dawn FM from a commercial-heavy, top 40 radio program.

Although The Weeknd is frequently compared to Michael Jackson, that strategy has led to new comparisons between the XO artist’s new release and Prince’s iconic 1984 album Purple Rain, both of which explore the ideas of forgiveness and the afterlife. Dawn FM is a combination of music that makes you move and music that moves you. Although it’s easy to draw that connection, it’s wise to step back as far as is required and consider Dawn FM’s advantages and disadvantages separately from one of the greatest albums of all time.

Dawn FM’s most obvious shortcoming, despite its intriguing conceptual design, is a result of The Weeknd’s steadfast fidelity to the sound of the 1980s. The album’s opening 22 minutes are so immensely dense with that aesthetic that by the time “Take My Breath” ends and “Sacrifice” begins, the high from the album’s highlight electropop cut “Gasoline” has already worn off.

There are several points in the album where it genuinely feels like purgatory, with the constant pop groove feeling far more unsettling than fun. This may just be because of the Dawn FM’s premise. Fortunately, Jim Carrey breaks the broadcast halfway through the record to switch to a more musically varied section of songs, which he describes as “thirty minutes of easy listening to some slow tracks.”

After that, Dawn FM releases some of its most anticipated songs, such as the joyous “Here We Go…Again” and “I Heard You’re Married” featuring Lil Wayne. However, three songs into the “easy listening,” things quickly become monotonous once more.

The ethereal commercial/skit/spoken word performance on “Every Angel Is Terrifying” is what gives Dawn FM its renewed excitement rather than another performance by Jim Carrey, serving as another kind of interlude that refocuses the project and keeps it from falling off altogether. The Weeknd’s “Less Than Zero,” a superbly great closing track, is preceded by the upbeat song with Lil Wayne’s appearance, and the “Phantom Regret by Jim” outro is the perfect way to bring everything to a close.

Dawn FM, at its worst, is a duality that can’t decide whether to be a compilation of rich, nostalgic pop songs or a deep record meant to be pondered, but even that criticism is way too severe. Dawn FM is, at best, a turning point for The Weeknd as he enters the second decade of his illustrious career; however, only time will tell.

For the time being, the Weeknd’s meticulous attention to every bridge, verse, beat transition, and radio-themed skit has resulted in a weirdly gorgeous project that makes a fantastic addition to his growingly impressive discography.

Dawn FM is The Weeknd’s most inventive, haunting, and thought-provoking release in a very long time. However, it’s way too early to make any random assertions about where it rates among his prior efforts.