“You are now listening to 103.5 Dawn FM. You’ve been in the dark for way too long. It’s time to walk into the light, and accept your fate with open arms Scared? Don’t worry.

We’ll be there to hold your hand and guide you through this painless transition. But what’s the rush? Just relax and enjoy another hour of commercial free yourself music on 103.5 Dawn FM”

-Dawn FM

So opens Dawn FM, the fifth studio album released by Canadian pop phenomenon The Weekend. This album is easy listening for the end-times, a good record to put on as we cruise into 2022 and the unknown future of another turn around the sun in the midst of a global pandemic.  Abel Tesfaye, aka The Weeknd, has crafted an album that mirrors the tone of current culture-in-crisis while also capturing the ever-constant existential dread of existence, aging, and identity.

Dawn FM continues his dive into music stylings of 80’s pop and house music. But the haunting, 80’s vibe isn’t just a musical reskin of modern-pop that’s having its resurgence all over culture (largely driven by the popularity of Stranger Things) It also embodies the glitzy, yuppie, vacuous lifestyle of that decade which is reflected in the lyrical themes and overall aesthetic. Think a musical version of Wall Street or American Psycho. Dawn FM revels in the glamour of it all, but the subtext is confusion, loneliness, and isolation. 

The whole album wrestles with connection, vacillating between pop-sheen that romanticizes love on the dance floor and the emptiness of a life lived only through music video lens of love, sex, and drugs. The album cover itself shows an aged, haggard Abel, tired from the universe he created. And the music video for the single “Gasoline”(more on that track in a minute) ends with young Abel stomping on old Abel’s face, perhaps as a nod to the war between hiss two sides:  the druggy/sexy persona and the wisdom one with perspective.

Speaking of “Gasoline,” that is a strong, early frontrunner for song of the year.  It’s the best Joy Division/New Order track never-before-released. Honestly, my jaw drops every time I hear it. The verses are sung in a lower register with a slightly British affectation (also used in “Don’t Break my Heart” and “How Do I Make you love me”) that would make you ask, “Who is the guest on this song?” But then he hits you with the line “It’s five A.M. I’m nihilist I know there’s nothing after this. Obsessing over aftermaths, apocalypse and hopelessness” and you know you’re in for something much darker than anything that has come before. Not that The Weeknd has ever radiated much warmth. His brand of pop is as cozy as an icicle. But if the goal of his art is to create feelings of isolation and alienation, then Dawn FM is the master example of this.

“How do I make you love me?” asks the aforenamed question with a sad desperation. And you’d think a star like Abel Tesfaye wouldn’t still have to wonder about this, but here he is, baring his lonely soul. But of course, we’ve come to realize in the #metoo era that using celebrity and power to garner romantic and sexual affections is and has always been wrong. And yet there is still a feeling that those at the top should have an easier time finding “love.” To which this song answers: money, fame, drugs, power, and sex does not equal real connection.

Styled like listening to a radio program, there are a few interesting interludes placed throughout the album, with “A Tale by Quincy” having famed producer Quincy Jones reflect on his tumultuous relationship with women through the lens of a terrible but hugely influential event on his young life:  “I will never forget watching my mother get put in a straightjacket and taken out of my home when I was only seven years old. She was diagnosed with Dementia praecox and put in a mental institution leaving my daddy alone with me and my little brother Lloyd.”

“Every Angel is Terrifying” (which is true if you take the Biblical accounts literally) is an infomercial for a cinematic experience that is “Intense, graphic, sexy, euphoric, provocative, edgy, thought-provoking, technically and visually stunning, a compelling work of science fiction, a suspenseful еxposé.” Normally, I would skip interludes on subsequent listens as they don’t often add anything to the album, but in Dawn FM these tracks supplement the overall tone of the album and offer a deep poetry worth exploring. 

The album doesn’t have a lot of guest spots, but the features are significant. Tyler the Creator jumps on a track, Lil’ Wayne has a spot (he popped off all over last year, seriously, who thought Lil’ Wayne would be as diverse and relevant in 2022 as he is?), the aforementioned Quincy Jones shares a story, and another famous Canadian provides the DJ narration for Dawn FM, Jim Carrey. Yes, that Jim Carrey. His voice is recognizable, but he sticks very much to the serious, ethereal, otherworldly nature of the album. On the outro track “Phantom Regret by Jim,” Carrey gives an unsettling DJ sign-off to the listeners, saying:

“You’re tuned to Dawn FM, the middle of nowhere on your dial, so sit back and unpack, you may be here awhile, now that all future plans have been postponed.”

Never have words rang oh so true, as three potential concerts I was going to see in January got cancelled or postponed due to COVID, and artists are having to drop show dates daily as band members or crew members are testing positive for the virus. Carrey’s final words serve as a bridge from Tesfaye’s vision as much as a they do to loop back into the beginning of the album, setting the scene for another run down the doom highway of Dawn FM like a modern day Twilight Zone episode.

Personally, I live about as far away from the lifestyle of The Weeknd as could be imagined. I’m happily married with children, and the closest thing I will ever get to a nightclub at my age is showing up for an early show at Skully’s Music Diner in Columbus. I don’t use drugs, I don’t own sunglasses or anything leather, and I do drive a minivan. Even in my 20s, I would’ve stood out like a sore thumb in this culture. But I can seriously appreciate the self-reflective artistry happening on this album and the face-off the listener is bearing witness to of the two sides of The Weeknd. Beyond that, every song is a total banger, his singing is on point, his voice is smooth as silk, and the instrumentals are as nostalgic as they are sexy. Dawn FM charges out the gate as a new pop classic and sets the stage for another year of incredible music. Listen to Dawn FM wherever music is streamed.

Follow The Weeknd on Instagram.