After bursting onto mainstream charts in 2015 with ‘Beauty Behind the Madness,’ Abel Tesfaye, better known by his stage name The Weeknd, has released another chart climbing album ‘Starboy.’
Already making history for ‘most release weekend streams ever,’ with his title track, his much anticipated fourth album could arguably just be an extension from BBTM with similar track formulas and exploration of themes.
He hasn’t strayed too far from his synthy-pop-darkwave-RnB, but there is a distinct ode to the 80’s in Starboy, with nods to both David Bowie and early Michael Jackson, evident in tracks like Rockin’, Secrets and A Lonely Night.
There is definite two sides to Tesfaye though, when he’s not exploring his usual themes of drugs, religion and his teenage years on the streets, “I ran out of tears when I was 19, so nobody made me but the streets,” he’s got more true RnB love anthems like Die For You and True Colors which will have you slow grinding on your lover (or maybe just pretending).
Whilst people will argue Tesfaye is just repeating the same pop formula he’s mocking people for, “it just seems like n***as tryna sound like all my old shit” it’s a formula that works and worthy of credit.
XO/Universal MusicAustralia
Four and a half stars
Reviewed by Caitlin Haddad
