The Weeknd masters futuristic electro-pop on new album, Dawn FM

location – Leave it to the Weeknd to give the magic of '80s pop music a futuristic facelift.

The Weeknd's fifth studio album, Dawn FM, dropped on Friday.
The Weeknd's fifth studio album, Dawn FM, dropped on Friday.  © IMAGO/NurPhoto

On the Weeknd's fifth studio album, Dawn FM, listeners are instantly transported to another universe made up by the Weeknd, and we are here for it.

The first track of the album is the title track, which features Jim Carrey as a radio host for a fictional radio station aptly called Dawn FM. Carrey's voice-over work is impressive per usual, and elevated by the radio jingles made by none other than the Weeknd himself.

Once the album transitions into the second track, it's clear that the musical aesthetic for Dawn FM is that of futuristic electro-pop with just the right amount of '80s influence.

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The Weeknd, born Abel Tesfaye, masterfully mixes complex terms, feelings, and a dose of the Hollywood lifestyle into a nicely packaged album that almost hides the intensity of the lyrics.

By the time you get to track six, you're nearly exhausted by the nonstop bass and high-energy beats of the first five songs.

So much so, that the spoken word track, A Tale By Quincy, is actually welcomed rather than shrugged off or worse – skipped over altogether.

Context clues give new fire to dating rumor flames

The Weeknd has fired up the rumor mill with a lyric fans think is about Angelina Jolie.
The Weeknd has fired up the rumor mill with a lyric fans think is about Angelina Jolie.  © Collage: Screenshot/Instagram/theweeknd

Tyler, the Creator shows up on the song, Here We Go...Again, adding his own bitter take to the track, rapping, "Forever is too long to me. We don't need the government involved because we like to touch. We don't need no damn religion telling us that we in love."

But it's not Tyler, the Creator's feature on the track that has fans buzzing, but rather a lyric by the Weeknd himself.

In the first verse, he sings, "And my new girl, she a movie star," which Twitter is now convinced is about the legendary Angelina Jolie.

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The two sparked dating rumors back in July 2021 when E! News reported they were spotted dining together, and again in September, though neither has yet to comment on the chatter.

The outro to the song plays into the fake radio station narrative of the album, with Carrey once again lending his voice-over skills to a typical radio in-between-songs transition.

Dawn FM wraps up with Carrey asking quite perplexing and anxiety-provoking questions about people's "phantom regrets" in a way that makes you a little on edge. That is, until you remember it's Carrey doing the narrating, and for some reason, that makes it easier to swallow.

These little touches sprinkled in by the 31-year-old artist really makes it feel like you're in your car driving on a back road at 2 AM, with no other cars on the road and it's just you and the music.

If you're looking for an escape, throw on the Weeknd's latest 16-track album and get lost in the world of Dawn FM.

Cover photo: IMAGO/NurPhoto

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