A whole year after his mega hit Beauty Behind the Madness released, Abel Tesfaye, better known as The Weeknd, released his 2016 album Starboy. After a very anticipated lead up including the biggest surprise of it all: a new haircut, The Weeknd dropped what can only be thought of as an average album. All over the place, Starboy switches off from pop, something that sounds like 80’s pop, and attempts to interest chill and energetic vibes in the same song. Not all of it is a combo of opposite genres that ends up sounding like a guitarist and electric keyboarder fighting each other, there are a few songs that take the listener back to Tesfaye’s more outstanding days.

“Starboy” the song, not the album name, easily sweeps every other song. Highlighting his rapid climb to being considered one of, if not the best creators of pop in the industry. Yet, the song turns to the darker side of his success, and how it has changed him as a person, almost blaming his listeners for his success. “Sidewalks” featuring Kendrick Lamar is another song that’s an easy listen. With a calm beat that is consistent throughout the whole song, this is a highlight of the album. “All I know” and “Party Monster” are his most upbeat songs, both being two of the most high-quality songs on the album. The rest of the album is mostly abstract nonsense that will fade away in about a month.

Rating:

⭐⭐∙ ∙ ∙

2 out of 5 stars

Starboy can be purchased on all major media platforms