The Weeknd’s After Hours: Album Review

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I’ve been a fan of The Weeknd for as long as I can remember, so when he released After Hours I was super excited to listen to it. After Hours is The Weeknd’s 4th studio album, and it channels themes of isolation, loneliness, and mental illness. The album opens with the track “Alone Again” which, I felt, did a great job of setting up the mood for the rest of the album. This theme continues in his next track, “Too Late”, which did a great job of paying homage to some of his earlier albums, (“House of Balloons” for instance).

The Weeknd continues to do a good job of conveying a melancholic mood through some of his more positive songs. From the summery aesthetic of “Hardest to Love” to the 80’s disco vibe of “Blinding Lights” it is clear to see that After Hours may be one of The Weeknd’s most seasoned albums to date.

My favorite tracks from this album were definitely “In Your Eyes” and “Scared to Live”. “In Your Eyes” did an excellent job of touching on mental health issues in an entertaining and fresh way. I felt that the lyrics were extremely well written and the overall vibe of the track matched the theme of the album really well. “Scared to Live” is another exceptional track from this album. Not only does the song match the theme of the album, but The Weeknd’s vocals were amazing. I thought that the instrumentals used in this song did a great job of showcasing his vocal range, and helped to create a beautiful melancholic mood.

On another note, although I did enjoy this album, there were some tracks that I wasn’t as impressed with. “Snowchild” for starters, was a track that didn’t fit the theme of the album very well, and was frankly fairly bland and unmeaningful. One of the main reasons why I have been a fan of The Weeknd for so long is that he often sings about what is meaningful and important to him. Sadly, I felt that this track was The Weeknd’s attempt to play into what’s popular right now instead of what’s meaningful to him. On a similar note, while the track “Escape from LA” had potential, I felt that it lacked lyrical execution, and therefore felt a bit uncomfortable.

Nevertheless, these were some of the few songs on this album that I could really find issues with. The rest of the tracks fit the theme of the album well and were really enjoyable to listen to. All in all, I really enjoyed After Hours and it is honestly one of my favorite albums by The Weeknd to date.

Favorite Tracks: In Your Eyes ~ Scared to Live ~ Blinding Lights ~ Hardest to Love

Least Favorite Tracks: Snowchild ~ Escape from LA

Overall Rating: 9.3/ 10