The Weeknd, After Hours | Track Review 🎵

Grammy-winning R&B artist The Weeknd superbly expresses heartbreak on “After Hours,” the 3rd single from his 4th studio LP, After Hours.

After more than a three-year-hiatus between full-length projects, three-time, Grammy-winning R&B artist The Weeknd returns with his fourth studio album, After Hours.  Between releasing Starboy (November 2016) and After Hours (March 2020), Abel Tesfaye released the six-song EP, My Dear Melancholy, (March 2018).  Prior to the announcement of After Hours, he’d released two compelling singles in the aggressive “Heartless” and the more pop-driven “Blinding Lights”.  Now, with After Hours set to bow, he releases the third single from the project, fitting the title track itself.

“After Hours” is definitely a throwback for The Weekend; it sounds like his ultra-moody music of the past.  At over six-minutes in length, it definitely runs long, but the vibe, vocal performance, and the production definitely compensate.  The dark, moody, minor production hails courtesy of Tesfaye alongside Illangelo, Jason “DaHeala” Quenneville, and Mario Winans (the “I Don’t Wanna Know” hitmaker).  Making the production so satisfying are the cutting-edge synths and the infectious groove.  Of course, it’s that potent falsetto atop the backdrop that seals the deal.

Beyond the sound and those accomplished vocals, it’s the theme encompassing matters of the heart that adds to the excellence.  The Weeknd thrives on heartbreak, asserting on the second verse, “My darkest hours / Girl, I felt so alone inside of this crowded room / Different girls on the floor, distractin’ my thoughts of you / I turned into the man I used to be, to be.”  The crème de la crème – the crowning achievement – is the chorus which may be cliché but definitely effective:

“Oh, baby
Where are you now when I need you the most?
I’d give it all just to hold you close
Sorry that I broke your heart, your heart
I said, baby
I’ll treat you better than I did before
I’ll hold you down and not let you go
This time, I won’t break your heart, your heart, yeah.”

Final Thoughts

“After Hours” provides more evidence to support the fact that After Hours the album should be another gargantuan hit for The Weeknd.  Sure, this is a long record, but there’s more than enough pros to make you forget you’ve been listening for six-minutes-plus.  Abel Tesfaye is in his zone here, and that’s always a winning formula.

The Weeknd • After Hours • Republic • Release: 3.20.20

Photo Credit: Republic