TomTalks #19: The Weeknd-Dawn FM (A Changed Abel with a Throwback Sound!)

 

Welcome back to Tom Talks and today we are discussing the 5th studio album from The Weeknd. 'Dawn FM' follows 2020's 'After Hours,' which saw Abel move in a more 80s direction whilst experimenting with genres like liquid d'n'b and electro-house. This saw him move away from the alternative r'n'b of the fantastic 'Trilogy' and the disappointing follow up 'Kiss Land,' or the more mainstream sounding 'Beauty Behind The Madness' and 'Starboy', albums which had highlights, but couldn't quite stick the landing.

As well as the change in sound, we also saw a change in personality from Abel Tesfaye, as he began to move away from his more druggy, one night stand persona of those early projects, to a more emotionally mature person who wants love, but gets his heart broken and does get sucked back into that life of lust. And with this LP, we see Mr. Tesfaye at his more vulnerable emotionally, as yet another doomed relationship is chronicled over the course of this album. Somehow, he goes even more 80s in sound, with the synth wave inspired production, working with the likes of Max Martin and Swedish House Mafia, amongst others.

Jim Carrey narrates throughout and does so in a way that adds to the enjoyment here, beginning on the title track, over a tranquil 80s synth beat, as The Weeknd laments he needs to have someone, in order to carry on. Immediately this gives us an impression that Abel is not in the best mindset. Carrey tells the listener that these tracks will take you through the dark and this transition in Tesfaye's life.

The first proper track follows as 'Gasoline' starts with this 80s sci-fi like production and skittering synths, which fit well with the distortion on his voice, making him sound deeper and more profound as he details this toxic and doomed relationship. With lines about a potential overdose and having gasoline poured on him, you can see the bad mental state and how this person isn't doing him any favours, despite being his reason to live. It's a good start to the album, indicating the themes and the bleak, but dancey sound on display.

'How Do I Make You Love Me?' is one of two tracks curated by Swedish House Mafia and you can see a similar vibe to their recent cuts in the synth/dance pop production, that really grabs your attention, especially when the keyboards rise in tempo during the chorus. Here we see a more softer side to the Weeknd, begging for this person's love and seeking her approval. Clearly he has moved on from his previous playboy persona and it provides a refreshing take on his ideas of companionship. 

The lead single 'Take My Breath,' was a decent dance floor jam, but this extended cut adds layers to the instrumental, influenced by 90s dance music and Techno. Abel once again is in his feelings, as is this girl, with the line "You're way too young to end your life," highlighting she is as unstable emotionally as he. Still a nice bop, that does indeed take your breath away.

I love the Prince vibe with the electric guitar on 'Sacrifice,' alongside a fantastic sample of 'I Want To Thank You' by Alicia Myers (Once again excellent work by the Swedish House Mafia). Alongside this great instrumental, Mr. Tesfaye is discussing struggling to fight his former self and be good enough for this girl, but inevitability giving into his vices and his struggle to feel like life's worth living. It's definitely one of the album's highlights and indicates the struggle within himself to change his ways, adding depth to this new chapter of The Weeknd's life and career.

Interludes are something that can be great, but can also suck and here the interlude from Quincy Jones does flow well into the next track, as he highlights his difficult relationship with motherly figures and how it had a negative impact on future relationships with other women. It's quite a deep and depressing insight into this man's life and maybe is used to highlight why Abel has difficulties when it comes to the women in his life.

This then leads into 'Out of Time,' which has big Marvin Gaye vibes and I do love the use of the horns and the flute. Unlike the more upbeat stuff from Gaye, this is a tale of trauma and how The Weeknd has lost his chance with this girl and that she has moved on from him, showing the sadness he feels, when he hits them high notes nicely. It's nice to see this more emotionally mature Abel, with the Jim Carrey radio skit here saying he is close to the light he desires, which maybe is a metaphor for the love he desires or the heaven's and a rest from the pain of life.

We then get the first collab on the album and looking back on his own break up inspired projects, Tyler, The Creator fits in well with the theme of constantly being broken hearted and his discussion of pre-nups, shows like Abel, he knows it's a matter of when, not if. Both sound great over this soft rock, synth wave production that sounds so crisp, especially with the added background vocals. The Weeknd's verse in particular stands out for the line, "I told myself that I'd never fall, But here we go again," showing he's in the same predicament as we've seen on 'My Dear, Melancholy' and the previous album. It's definitely one of my faves here and is a phenomenal insight into the feelings of our protagonist here.

'Best Friends' is yet another highlight, grabbing your attention instantly with the loud and stuttering keyboard and the 808s, as we see Mr. Tesfaye once again stuck in two minds. He sees this girl as his best friend and doesn't want anything more than sex, as he doesn't want to hurt her. While I feel he's already kinda messed up there by taking relations to the bedroom, it shows this is no longer the playboy that gives zero fucks of 'House of Balloons,' this is a flawed human being, who has matured and has a bit more empathy than before.

The next two tracks are the weakest part of the album, which is a shame as 'Is There Someone Else?' does have an interesting concept of The Weeknd recognising he's being cheated on, as he has done the same to girls in the past. But it doesn't stand out too much due to the sorta basic electro-pop production, that sounds like a 'Starboy' leftover. We then transition pretty nicely into 'Starry Eyes' that has a similar instrumental, with added rising keyboard playing. Here Abel has found the woman of his dreams, but he asks her to kick him to the curb, as he's no longer starry eyed and knows they won't stay together. Abel sounds pretty decent here and it's a decent performance, but again it's territory we have covered before and the production is only a slight improvement on the prior number.

We then get a wild skit on 'Every Angel Is Terrifying,' which uses an Angel as a metaphor for the women in his life hurting him, which is backed with these synths and wailing background noises, sounding like a 80s horror movie. Again Jim Carrey does his thing, advertising this science fiction product that makes normal life seem dull, which links into this idea of being sold a dream, that can never really be achieved.

This theme is then explored further on 'Don't Break My Heart,' an electro-pop/r'n'b track that vocally sees Abel deliver on all fronts, especially when we reach the chorus. Lines like "You snatch my soul, I'm crucified, I feel paralysed, I'm so mesmerised by you," show how enamoured he is by this girl and in a way show she has become like an addictive drug to him, so much that he threatens to end it all. The Weeknd is pleading at the disco, for this girl not to leave him and shows how emotionally developed a person he has become and you do feel for old Abel here. Simply a sensational song, that also doubles as a melancholic dancefloor jam.

Our second and final collaboration, sees a team up with Lil Wayne, which I admit I was nervous about. But, fair play to both artists as it comes off, over this glossy disco production, that does remind me a little bit of 'In Your Eyes.' As the title 'I Heard You're Married' suggests, this girl potentially only sees Mr. Tesfaye as a side piece and he questions her intentions and why they still have a relationship. Again this is another subtle club jam, but while we get a decent verse from Wayne, lines ranging from the whittyness of "And when doves cry, we ain't got enough tissue," to the weak "And tell hubby I'll kill him, no gun cap," kind of distracts you a bit and deters my liking of the track.

The last song here is 'Less Than Zero,' which is definitely the most poppy sounding on the LP, as Abel seems to have reached the conclusion of this relationship, as the guilt of cheating starts to eat him up. He sounds great over the synths, glorifying dying in her arms and giving us a solid ballad to end the album on. However, we still have another interlude 'Phantom Regret by Jim,' stating Abel has to get over his past before he reaches heaven, indicating the relationship is over and he is moving onto the next chapter in his life.

What the Weeknd has done here, is take inspiration from the 80s once again, but not in a way that feels rehashed or overdone. Yes the sound isn't as experimental or as different as 'After Hours' could be at times or as those original 3 mixtapes sounded back in 2011, but it fits the tone of what he tried to do here and it fits it well.

From dancefloor jams to melancholic ballads, the variety on offer here is pretty good and bar a few cuts that don't quite perk my ear as much, this is a pretty solid record. We've seen a different side to Abel, a more emotionally complex man, matured by heartbreak and the experience of life. He still struggles to come to terms with this at times and falls back into that trap of not giving a care in the world for the women in his life or the effects of partying, but by this album's end, he appears to be moving forward and he sounds pretty good recounting this story to the listener.

7.5/10

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