By: Ryan Martin
I was super stoked for this album. I remember reading an article a while back that said that The Weeknd was going to take a break after his Beauty Behind The Madness follow-up album so I assumed it was gonna be a bit before his next effort. To my surprise, he announced Starboy, his 3rd official studio album on September 21st, 2016. The title track and "False Alarm" followed shortly after. The title track became the most successful single from the album while False Alarm was met with a cold response from fans and critics alike. I personally, enjoyed False Alarm. I thought it took a post-punk edge to The Weeknd's music and from the singles I heard, I thought it was going to be a departure from his last sugar-coated album. I'm a big fan of the Trilogy he put out in 2011, a collection of his first three mixtapes that mix moody, dark, and swollen beats with edgy and pre-mature lyrics. Throughout the three hours of music, Abel Tesfaye (The Weeknd) sets a mood that incorporates sexiness as much as it does fear. With the incredible, but dark production behind the title track for this new album and the unpredictable direction Tesfaye took with "False Alarm" I was eager to hear The Weeknd return to his familiar roots, shocking new fans.
First of all, the album is way too fucking long. Clocking in at 1 hour and 8 minutes, Starboy ends up being longer than his debut, Kiss Land where almost every song on the 12-track list ranges from 4 to 8 minutes. The problem nowadays is that artists are putting out an extensive amount of songs rather than choosing quality over quantity. Double albums like Views by Drake, Hardwired to Self-Destruct by Metallica, or you could even argue Life of Pablo all have the same issue. Too many filler tracks. Starboy falls under the same category with filler tracks like "Rockin'", "Love To Lay", and "Nothing Without You" that all try to follow the same pop formula with noticeable 80's and 90's influence. Tesfaye said that he took influence from both David Bowie and Prince for his new album and it can be seen by the 80's pop synths and danceable hooks. Unfortunately, the lyrics are pretty repetitive at times (see songs like "Six Feet Under" and "Ordinary Life") which is understandable for an artist who spent half a year touring constantly and another half putting together an 18-track album. Tesfaye said in his first on camera interview with Zane Lowe that he was a "workaholic" and that when the label asked for his album they were going to have to "pry it from his hands". That being said, it takes a considerable amount of time to craft an impressive album. If Tesfaye narrowed down Starboy and put together a 10 or 12 track album. He would have had his best studio album to date. But so far we have the forgettable Kiss Land, the pop sensation Beauty Behind The Madness, and Starboy, which honestly sounds like an extended version of BBTM with a retro twist.
I was super stoked for this album. I remember reading an article a while back that said that The Weeknd was going to take a break after his Beauty Behind The Madness follow-up album so I assumed it was gonna be a bit before his next effort. To my surprise, he announced Starboy, his 3rd official studio album on September 21st, 2016. The title track and "False Alarm" followed shortly after. The title track became the most successful single from the album while False Alarm was met with a cold response from fans and critics alike. I personally, enjoyed False Alarm. I thought it took a post-punk edge to The Weeknd's music and from the singles I heard, I thought it was going to be a departure from his last sugar-coated album. I'm a big fan of the Trilogy he put out in 2011, a collection of his first three mixtapes that mix moody, dark, and swollen beats with edgy and pre-mature lyrics. Throughout the three hours of music, Abel Tesfaye (The Weeknd) sets a mood that incorporates sexiness as much as it does fear. With the incredible, but dark production behind the title track for this new album and the unpredictable direction Tesfaye took with "False Alarm" I was eager to hear The Weeknd return to his familiar roots, shocking new fans.
First of all, the album is way too fucking long. Clocking in at 1 hour and 8 minutes, Starboy ends up being longer than his debut, Kiss Land where almost every song on the 12-track list ranges from 4 to 8 minutes. The problem nowadays is that artists are putting out an extensive amount of songs rather than choosing quality over quantity. Double albums like Views by Drake, Hardwired to Self-Destruct by Metallica, or you could even argue Life of Pablo all have the same issue. Too many filler tracks. Starboy falls under the same category with filler tracks like "Rockin'", "Love To Lay", and "Nothing Without You" that all try to follow the same pop formula with noticeable 80's and 90's influence. Tesfaye said that he took influence from both David Bowie and Prince for his new album and it can be seen by the 80's pop synths and danceable hooks. Unfortunately, the lyrics are pretty repetitive at times (see songs like "Six Feet Under" and "Ordinary Life") which is understandable for an artist who spent half a year touring constantly and another half putting together an 18-track album. Tesfaye said in his first on camera interview with Zane Lowe that he was a "workaholic" and that when the label asked for his album they were going to have to "pry it from his hands". That being said, it takes a considerable amount of time to craft an impressive album. If Tesfaye narrowed down Starboy and put together a 10 or 12 track album. He would have had his best studio album to date. But so far we have the forgettable Kiss Land, the pop sensation Beauty Behind The Madness, and Starboy, which honestly sounds like an extended version of BBTM with a retro twist.
I don't want you to get the impression that I hated this album though. There are some seriously impressive highlights on Starboy. My two favorites right now are "I Feel It Coming" and "Sidewalks" with Kendrick Lamar. Sidewalks features a blistering guitar beat which both Tesfaye and Kendrick rap over with Sam Smith assisting The Weeknd on the chorus. It makes up for one of the sweetest songs on the album and an obvious standout. "I Feel It Coming" may has some repetitive lyrics, but the Daft Punk production makes up for it. It sounds like a ballad straight out of the 80's and almost reminds me of "Get Lucky", the smash hit they had in 2013. It's a classic outro and fits perfectly. Tesfaye even used it as the song that plays during the credits in his short film to accompany Starboy, "Mania". Mania serves as a visual presentation for 6 of the songs off the album. Short films that go hand in hand with albums have become popular lately so this is probably an attempt to score off that trend. Videos like Frank Ocean's Endless, Beyoncé's Lemonade and Drake's "Please Forgive Me", which goes with songs from his latest album, Views come to mind.
I would expect to see some of The Weeknd's singles like "Starboy" and "I Feel It Coming" in heavy radio rotation for the next couple weeks if not months. But there are only a handful of songs off this album that are worth checking out. The project as a whole is disappointing and is full of euphoric highs and corny lows. Starboy is not the best place to start if you are new to The Weeknd's catalog. I would recommend his first mixtape, House of Balloons for a proper introduction. But if you are more into his pop-influence work, Beauty Behind The Madness will do you justice as it has many strong radio hits and doesn't overstay its welcome too much, while there are definitely duds. Overall, Starboy would have been Tesfaye's best work to date if he knew when to cut his losses while choosing the tracks to make the album. Maybe it is finally time for Tesfaye to take a break.
What'd you think of Starboy?