World building through music is a difficult, yet incredible feat. When an artist is able to enthrall audiences by encapsulating a concept with vivid storytelling and sonic scene-setting, that is a unique mark of brilliance. Following the release of his latest album, Dawn FM, The Weeknd should be considered a true master of the art of concept albums.

The pop megastar is back with his fifth studio album after a one-year hiatus. Following perhaps his most critically acclaimed record to date, After Hours, expectations were sky high for this record.

Continuing to lean into the 80’s synth-pop sonic landscape established on After Hours, Dawn FM picks up the pace a bit, with more upbeat production and lyrical content than its predecessor. Throughout the record, The Weeknd experiments within the synth-pop genre, dabbling in some soulful tones with tracks like “Out of Time,” and embracing disco-dance aesthetics on “Sacrifice” and “Is There Someone Else?” Considering the diversity of moods and directions this record takes within its overarching sonic concept, Dawn FM represents The Weeknd’s best-produced record, surpassing After Hours substantially. Abel has production credits on every song on the record, continuing to show his knack for conceptual execution behind the boards.

Canonically, Dawn FM picks up right where After Hours left off. In the music video for “Until I Bleed Out,” the final track from After Hours, Abel sees himself inside a room filled with balloons and people, surely a reference to his outstanding mixtape “House of Balloons.” As he stares into the room, Abel sees himself get mobbed and killed by this group of people (likely representing succumbing to his addictions). His escape from the house of balloons symbolizes his efforts to escape his old life, during the climax of the video, Abel passes out from blood loss and dies on the Las Vegas strip, where After Hours takes place. Fittingly, Dawn FM takes place in purgatory, with the Jim Carrey narrated radio station creating a soundtrack for the listeners’ journey toward the light at the end of the tunnel. Sonically and conceptually, Dawn FM is an ethereal pitstop on a journey that began with After Hours.

As Carrey’s fuzzy narration cuts in to conclude the project, he reminds the listener that in order to reach heaven, you have to let go of the regret and pain from your physical life. With Abel providing angelic background vocals to Carrey’s final message, the record ends with the heavenly sound of birds chirping. As he alluded to on Twitter, Abel will conclude this storyline in his next record, completing yet another trilogy of incredibly refined and distinguished pop/R&B records.

Although Dawn FM is mostly spotless, some tracks simply do not present the same quality as others on the tracklist, unnecessarily bloating the record. “Best Friends” is repetitive and indistinguishable from countless other Abel songs and “Here We Go…Again” is dragged on far too long and contains a surprisingly disappointing Tyler, The Creator feature.

However, overall, Dawn FM is an inherently intriguing concept album executed with exactitude and mastery. Abel seems to get more experimental and ambitious with each project, locking our gaze on what he decides to do next.

Favorite Tracks:

Out of Time

Take My Breath

Is There Someone Else?

Listen to Dawn FM here:

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