Abel Tesfaye has come a long way since his free mixtape days. The underground artist, who first exploded onto the scene under stage name The Weeknd with freebies House of Balloons, Thursday, and Echoes of Silence in 2011, is no longer a musical phantom. After repackaging the three tapes into the polished Trilogy release, Tesfaye dropped his debut studio album Kiss Land in 2013. “You will continue to get what you fell in love with, and I will continue to give you what you ask for,” he told his fans in a note that released alongside Trilogy. Kiss Land did not disappoint as it maintained the same stripped down, intimate essence that captivated fans in the beginning.
What came next for the now 25 year-old Canadian crooner? Standalone track “Often” came out of nowhere last summer tinged with Tesfaye’s signature sensuality. And then his sound went mainstream when pop star Ariana Grande invited him to guest on her hit track “Love Me Harder;” The Weeknd co-wrote the ubiquitous track. Now riding the mainstream waves, he appropriately stuck his stylistic R&B brand on the theatrical adaptation of Fifty Shades of Grey by releasing the movie soundtrack’s single “Earned It.” That track helped said soundtrack reach the number three spot on the Billboard Hot 100.
Today, Tesfaye isn’t resting on his laurels. In fact, he’s currently in the studio readying his second studio album. The long-awaited followup to Kiss Land doesn’t have a name or release date confirmed yet, but if you’re one to trust Wikipedia, it’s titled Chapter III and it’s set for release later this year. What’s solid is the lead single off said record: The Weeknd dropped “The Hills” on Wednesday, a characteristically moody track that he debuted live this spring at Coachella and SXSW.
The track, which originally went by the name “Mood Music,” is now available to purchase on iTunes and comes accompanied by an enthralling music video. In it, Tesfaye emerges from a bad car wreck, bloodied and disoriented. “I only love it when you touch me, not feel me / When I’m f*cked up, that’s the real me.” Those lyrics continue to peel back layers in order to shed light on his inner demons. The visuals mesmerize, too; after the car explodes into a fireball, Tesfaye stumbles upon an eerie mansion where he ends up in a creepy cliffhanger leaving fans salivating for more. Watch it all go down after the break.
What do you think of The Weeknd’s latest effort? Though his lyrics on “The Hills” resonate with themes that have come before, do you find his ever-improving sound straying too far from his original works? Plug in your ‘phones, take a listen, and sound off in the comments below.