The Weeknd a.k.a. Abel Tesfaye is releasing a new album on January 7. Well, those are our words. In his words, the Toronto pop star is unveiling “A new sonic universe from the mind of The Weeknd,” titled Dawn FM. It follows 2020’s massively successful After Hours, and so far we have a handful of clues to parse before it’s out in the world.
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The record will feature Tesfaye’s first collaboration with Tyler, The Creator, after he told GQ he wanted to work with the rapper (a wish to work with Kanye from the same interview already happened) and his second with Lil Wayne (they previously worked together on Dedication 5’s intro track, “I’m Good”). He’s also once again working with heady electronic producer Oneohtrix Point Never (the Uncut Gems connected universe lives on). More surprisingly, Dawn FM is set to include contributions from Quincy Jones and Jim Carrey, presumably in the form of interludes—the tracklist includes songs titled “A Tale by Quincy” and “Phantom Regret by Jim,” respectively.
After going for a bloodied, bandaged and red-suited look in the After Hours era, which Tesfaye told Variety was “reflecting on the absurd culture of Hollywood celebrity and people manipulating themselves for superficial reasons to please and be validated,” he’s taking things in a different, but no less cryptic direction for this new phase. The album cover sees the 31-year-old singer don old age makeup, which he also wears in the new trailer. Aging and the passage of time seem to be motifs here, with sped up shots of a flower wilting and Tesfaye assaulting his older self in a club. (Weeknd told GQ he owned 20 red After Hours blazers–one hopes he isn’t going to subject himself to old age make-up for every appearance this time.)
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Notably, the trailer begins with a car crash, which keen fans will connect to “Blinding Lights.” That clip also unveils the tracklist which includes some intriguing titles, like “How Do I Make You Love Me?” and “I Heard You’re Married.” “Every Angel is Terrifying” and “Less Than Zero,” (which, knowing Weeknd, is most likely an allusion to the Bret Easton Ellis novel) are dark horse contenders for best title, too.
It seems like we won’t hear any more new music in advance, but there are a few snippets in the album trailer, including a portion of what is likely “Starry Eyes.” It deals with classic Weeknd themes of heartbreak and emotional turmoil, as he sings, “Back then I was starry-eyed / And now I’m so cynical / Baby, break me / Kick me to the curb.” The trailer also features a spoken word excerpt from Jim Carrey.
Last year when GQ’s Mark Anthony Green heard an unfinished version of the album, he described it as potentially being The Weeknd’s “best project” to date, packed with “Quincy Jones meets Giorgio Moroder meets the best-night-of-your-fucking-life party records.” Weeknd in turn revealed it is “the album he always wanted to make.” We’ll know a lot more about Dawn FM once it’s out, but one thing we can say with confidence–The Weeknd won’t be putting it up for any Grammys.