STACK #185 Mar 2020

MUSIC FEATURE

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After Hours - the fourth album by Canadian slashie (singer/ songwriter/actor/record producer/celebrity dater/brand collaborator) TheWeeknd (Abel Tesfaye to his mom) - drops this month. Are you so excited you can't feel your face? Same here! Words Bryget Chrisfield

the Weeknd Living for

Released So Far:

Heartless (Nov 27, 2019) On the lead single from After Hours , Tesfaye goes all Taylor Swift on our arses (stay with us!) by singing about his exes - more specifically, returning to his playboy ways after breakups with both Bella Hadid and Selena Gomez. Then later on in Heartless he appears to refer to his on-and-off relationship with Hadid: “You just came back in my life/ You never gave up on me (Why don't you?)...“ - we're tipping she will now! Still, this Metro Boomin-produced number has an irresistible beat and the music video - set in Sin City - is well worth a look.  Blinding Lights  (Nov 29, 2019)  The second single to be lifted from The Weeknd's forthcoming LP was revealed through a commercial for the Mercedes-Benz EQC, starring Tesfaye. Blinding Lights is so incredibly '80s-inspired that we felt compelled to double check there wasn't a DeLorean parked out front after our first listen. The beat channels Maniac from Flashdance's OST and that cheesy synth riff has just gotta come from a keytar, right?  After Hours  (Feb 19, 2020) The title track from After Hours is minimal AF: there's some glitchy clicks and electric piano, but it's The Weeknd's trademark woozy falsetto that hogs the spotlight. Once the beat drops, roaring bass underscores the choruses and it's time to put on your shuffling shoes. During this song, Tesfaye basically admits he was a prick during one specific relationship and begs for a do-over: “I'll treat you better than I did before... This time, I won't break your heart/ No.“ So is he on about Sel or Bel here?

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MARCH 2020

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