Album Review #4: After Hours by The Weeknd

On March 20, 2020 The Weeknd released his fourth studio album titled After Hours. It consists of 14 tracks, with 3 tracks added with After Hours (Deluxe). It peaked on the Billboard 200 at #1 for four consecutive weeks, being the first to do so since Drake's Scorpion. Three singles were released for the album, Heartless, Blinding Lights and In Your Eyes. Both Heartless and Blinding Lights peaked at #1 on the Hot 100, and In Your Eyes debuted and peaked at #16. All three songs are still on the Hot 100. Today, this album will serve as my fourth album review. Let's do this.

Alone Again
Right off the bat, the first thing I notice is that the production at the very beginning is cool. Then Abel starts singing, and it kind of starts to ruin it. His voice is shrill, and has this weird aggressive vibrato thing happening to it. It's kind of creepy and slow, but the production is really good, and would be enough for me to like this if it wasn't for Abel's weird voice. Then there's a good twenty seconds where it's one note and I don't know what's happening, but then a beat comes in, and it sounds decent! He's a little mumbly, but other than that, it doesn't sound bad! I feel like the second half really saved this from being bad, but it's not good because of the first half.
5/10

Too Late
From the start here, he sounds better than he did in the start of Alone Again, but what he's singing is too high for his voice. The beat comes in later, and it starts to bring up the song, because he sings in a better octave for him. His voice has this odd effect on it that doesn't sound that great, and it just makes this song feel really weird. For the most part, I don't love this, because it's just really weird and makes me feel uncomfortable. I get he was trying to do something different with this album, but I didn't love it.
4/10

Hardest To Love
Right from the start, this is already better than the other songs I've heard. I like how the beat carries this rushed motion, making it feel like it's going really fast and it feels more rewarding when it slows down. When we get to the chorus, it's better because it's actually a chorus that sticks and I could remember afterwards. The chimes kind of sound like Minecraft music... don't quote me on that. The bridge is nice and solid, and overall, this song is one of the best from the album. Although I'm not quite sure what's happening at the end. But whatever.
7/10

Scared To Live
After I first listened to the album, this was one of the songs that I went and listened to again. I mean, you can't deny it, Abel sounds amazing in this song. The writing is actually pretty good, and definitely a contrast to most of this album. The chorus is an absolute banger, and can get stuck in your head for literal days afterward. I feel like if he were to release another single, this would be a very good choice. I love the "HEY!" and all the effects on it. When we hit the after-chorus, even though the chopped-up vocals sound a little weird, the rest is just spectacular. When the bridge slows down, it makes for a great build-up to the last chorus. For sure seek this out if you haven't heard this album.
9/10

Snowchild
So Selena Gomez requested this song. I don't quite know why. It's certainly not one of the best songs from this album. He drops a... certain word a lot in this, and it makes for an awkward listen. He doesn't sound very charismatic... like at all. The beat's alright, but other than that nothing stands out. I'd rather not listen to this again. The bridge is decent, but it can't bring this up for me.
3/10

Escape From LA
Okay, the production is admittedly really great on this song. I'm already loving that. His voice doesn't sound bad right from the start, but he is a bit mumbly, and it's kind of trap-sounding. Also, I'm not sure why everyone wants to leave LA. But that's fine. The song doesn't evolve much, although it changes a bit. For the most part this is decent, and definitely not one of the worst songs from this album... lookin' at you, Snowchild. It's a little bit on the long side, clocking in at around 5:56. I don't hate this if I'm being honest, as it starts to get a bit better near the end, with the bridge actually being pretty good. Overall, I think this is pretty good. Definitely one of the best non-pop songs on this album.
7/10

Heartless
This was the first single from this album, and has since left the countdown. So you guys know my opinion on this for the most part. It has admittedly grown on me a bit. I still don't love it, but listening to the rest of the album, this does hold up and stand out. The verses are pretty good, but I still don't love the chorus, the bassline or the writing. The beat is pretty well-made, and although this track has some high points, I think the lows outweigh it. It's definitely better than a good chunk of this album though. Therefore, I'm giving it a solid 6/10... okay maybe 5.5. Hmmm... 5.2.
5.3/10

Faith
This one stands out. Is that a good thing? I'm not quite sure. For the most part, the production is really cool, which tends to be a common trend for this album. The vocals aren't great, but I think the rest of it quite makes up for it. The chorus sounds pretty good, although in my opinion, there's a little too many layers there. The beat is really great. I mean, for pretty much the entire second half of the song I was dancing in my seat. Definitely better than some other songs here, but definitely not great. Overall, it's pretty dang decent. That ending though. It hits hard. You can hear the sirens in the background, and you can tell that something happened, and he's kind of changed now. Which you'll hear throughout these next songs.
7/10

Blinding Lights
You guys know that I love this song. But I love at the beginning how it works so well with Faith there. Anyways, this is easily gonna be my favourite song of 2020. The synth-pop thing works so well, and Abel just sounds so great. This song is an absolute bop, and it deserves all the success it's getting and more. This could very possibly become one of my favourite songs ever, and it for sure deserves that title. Great song, works well with the album, and I feel like this was made to be a single.
12/10

In Your Eyes
This is the newest single from this album, and it is also very good. It's also got an 80s feel to it, like Blinding Lights, and the production is really good on this. Abel's voice works really well with this, and it's insanely catchy. I'd love to see this do well on the charts, but we'll see. The saxophone in this is really great, and the hook is amazing. Great song, although not quite as good as Blinding Lights, but it's still very good in comparison to the rest of this album.
9/10

Save Your Tears
This song is also very good! It's a little more mellow than Blinding Lights and In Your Eyes, but it's still good nonetheless. Abel also sounds good in this, and the chorus is really catchy. It's pretty chill, with pretty much just a bassline, but I think it works pretty well. This wasn't a single, but I think it could also be a good direction to go. It's catchy and pop-ish, and could do pretty well on the charts.
8/10

Repeat After Me (Interlude)
From the start, this production feels pretty cool. Abel starts singing after the first third of the song, and he sounds pretty good. With the beat and the production, I think this works really well. It's pretty short, since it's an interlude, but I still think it's pretty good. Overall, it's got a pretty catchy hook, and I think this is definitely a solid song.
7/10

After Hours
This is the title track, used as a promotional single, and I have some pretty mixed feelings about this song. The first half is really weird. It feels really creepy and the vocals have a weird vocal effect on them. But in the second part, it really picks up and actually starts to get pretty good. The production and his vocals lose the echo-ish effect, and an actual beat drops. The bassline sounds really cool with this, and overall it brings up this song a whole lot. Maybe not enough to make it too good, but enough to make it decent. The chorus is pretty catchy honestly, and he sounds pretty good. Overall, this is a solid song compared to the rest of the album. It really fits with the whole flow of this album, and the end is definitely better than the beginning.
6.8/10

Until I Bleed Out
This is the last track on the normal album. The production doesn't really stand out, and it's kind of slow. His voice is alright on this. I feel like the writing on this is really good though. It definitely stands out from the rest of the album, and aside from the end of Faith, this is when you realize that he's changed. It ends kind of abruptly though, which I don't love. Overall, it's not great as a standalone track, but it's decent as an album closer.
6/10

Nothing Compares - Bonus Track
Right from the start, I'm already kind of loving the production. I'm also not sure what that trumpet hook is from, but I'm pretty sure I've heard it before. His voice has a lot of vibrato, which makes it kind of weird. This song doesn't have much substance to it, and feels a little hollow and empty, which I don't love. It can get boring at some points, so overall, I don't love it.
5/10

Missed You - Bonus Track
This one's a bit slower but has a good beat. I feel the end of this album slowed it down a bit. Again, there's not much substance to it. The chorus feels really empty, and not much is happening. It's pretty short, which I think isn't a great thing, because it could've evolved a bit more had it been a bit longer. Overall, this song's not great.
4/10

Final Lullaby - Bonus Track
The riff at the beginning's pretty cool. His voice comes in after, and honestly it sounds solid. Again though, it feels slow and empty. Maybe not as much as Nothing Compares and Missed You, but it still does nonetheless. I didn't love the bonus tracks, because they were all too slow and felt like they were all missing something. Overall, not a great closer. I prefered Until I Bleed Out.
5.5/10

High Points
#1: Blinding Lights
#2: Scared To Live
#3: In Your Eyes
#4: Save Your Tears
#5: Faith
#6: Repeat After Me (Interlude)
#7: Hardest To Love
#8: Escape From LA

Mid-Points
#9: After Hours
#10: Until I Bleed Out
#11: Final Lullaby - Bonus Track
#12: Heartless
#13: Alone Again
#14: Nothing Compares - Bonus Track

Low Points
#15: Missed You - Bonus Track
#16: Too Late
#17: Snowchild

Final Verdict
This album had some definite highlights and some definite lowlights. Overall, I think it told a pretty cool story, and the end was better than the beginning. Would I recommend this to somebody? Probably not. Therefore, I'd give it a C+. Hope you guys enjoyed that, and we might be back with another one if this was something you liked.

Kwaheri, everybody and see you all soon.