The Weeknd is back with his new concept album Dawn FM, which comes after the hit single 'Take My Breath' which was released last year.
Throughout the album, including right at the beginning, you get interludes that really represent the FM radio concept and takes you in to the word that The Weeknd has created for the listener.
The sound of the album feels very similar to After Hours, and definitely acts as a follow up to the 2020 album. Although the 80s inspired synth feel of music is feeling a little tired, when it's done right it still sounds incredible, and it's safe to say that Dawn FM does it right. Abel's silky vocals pair perfectly with catchy production-driven beats across the album, and at no point does this really falter. Dawn FM is nothing if not consistent, and although it's by no means perfect, the execution of the concept and production is nearly flawless. 'Take My Breath' was a perfect single release to introduce to the era, but it is songs like 'Less Than Zero' and 'Out Of Time' that act as the highlights of Dawn FM.
Another feature that the album gets right is the transition between songs, to listen to this album in anything but the order it was released in means you miss out on the way that each track flows effortlessly yet cleverly into the next. The advantage of using the heavy synth is it allows for these transitions.
For once, the features Abel has brought on to this album actually don't work in the way they probably should. As you listen to each song you get immersed in the world of Dawn FM, and the features from Tyler and Lil Wayne actually snap you out from this immersion and feel out of place. The best parts of the songs on which they feature are, well, the bits when they aren't there.
As usual, Abel's songs are tantalising and sexy, and as always, leeaving hints as to who the tracks might be about. Whether they're about who he's suggesting is another issue, but its enough to get people talking, and there's no better promo for an album than that.
If Dawn FM had been made by any other artists, then maybe it would be even better ecieved, but because it's The Weeknd, and he's already show what he can do with this sound previously, it feels like it lacks that bit of edge that can really push it to be exceptional.
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