Dawn FM
| The Weeknd
Dawn FM
Dawn FM is the fifth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter the Weeknd, released on January 7, 2022, through XO and Republic Records. It features narration by Jim Carrey, guest vocals from Tyler, the Creator and Lil Wayne, and spoken word appearances from Quincy Jones and Josh Safdie. As the album's executive producers, the Weeknd, Max Martin and Oneohtrix Point Never recruited a variety of other producers such as Oscar Holter, Calvin Harris and Swedish House Mafia. -Wikipedia
Critic Reviews
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The Guardian
If this is the end for the Weeknd, what a way to bow out. Abel Tesfaye confirms his status as an all-time great with an album of icy 80s-inflected splendour.
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Pitchfork
Conceptualized around listening to a retro-pop radio station in purgatory, Abel Tesfaye’s fifth album is the most thoughtful, melodic, and revealing project of his career.
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KVNF
He's working in a way that's transcending anything that he's done before. He's not afraid. He is more bold and more confident than he's ever been. And he's allowed to evolve. You know, a lot of people feel like, oh, you know, I miss the old Weeknd and, you know, I miss the moody R&B. But, you know, he's ascended. He's become this whole new persona, this whole new person, this whole new artist. And I feel like he's allowed to do that.
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Rolling Stone
Less brooding and decadent than usual, his latest is a refreshingly light and accessible listen.
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Slant Magazine
The Weeknd’s Dawn FM is a woozy, psychedelic deep dive inside the artist’s famously twisted psyche.
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Slug Magazine
Perhaps this album isn’t his most remarkable for the general public, but it has ushered in a new era of creative exploration for the Weeknd, a transition period of sorts. It’s as if he wants to take us along for his artistic journey, and the soulful, contemplative exploration of Dawn FM is the only the first station we’ll stop at.
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Junkee
Yes, Dawn FM is a car radio, a pinball machine, a kitschy ’80s font. It’s both the glistening surface and the memories those signifiers carry with them. And it’s one more work in the grand tradition of pop epics about death and transcendence, from ‘Stairway to Heaven’ to ‘The Edge of Glory’. It’s the album cover: The Weeknd aged up to 80, with a confused expression, as if he really shouldn’t be there. He’s fated to do this forever.
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Stereogum
On paper it is absurd. But like so many of the Weeknd’s absurdities, in practice it is a revelation.
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Paste Magazine
Dawn FM Is The Weeknd’s Grandest Synth-Pop Gesture and a Thoughtful Rumination on Mortality.
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MSN
Abel Tesfaye has a change of heart on this darkly shimmering album.
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Nylon
His fifth studio album embodies growth in all aspects for Abel Tesfaye as a singer, writer, and conceptual visionary.
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Uproxx
Dawn FM is much more than the morning-after companion to After Hours, it’s a project that captures The Weeknd wrestling with his vices and how they affect him and those around him. Dare I say it, but as listeners, we watch the realities of life dawn on the singer and force him to accept what is real and not what he wants. The Weeknd wants to have his cake and eat it too, but unfortunately for his interests, that can’t be the case. The nighttime fun that’s filled with bright lights, drinking beyond reasonable measure, and a drug intake that toes the edge of a cliff, turns out to be a bit duller the following day as the sun and a hangover rise together.
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The Rice Thresher
The Weeknd’s ‘Dawn FM’ is a purgatorial meditation on love and lust.
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Medium
A love letter to the ’80s and an artistic reinvention for The Weeknd.
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The Daily
If you expect another “After Hours” or “Beauty Behind the Madness,” you’ll be left disappointed. The album is brand new territory for Tesfaye, and if traditional fans dislike it, that’s understandable. But for the rest of us, who are open to musical experimentation, and even those who long to experience true ‘80s nostalgia, this album is definitely up your alley and worth a spin — or two, or three.
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Esquire
The narrative construction is impressive enough; the fact that it’s matched by a similar musical progression is downright masterful.
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Variety
“After Hours” has resonated for nearly two years after its release, and in the face of another phase of a daunting pandemic, it seems that “Dawn FM” — possibly the Weeknd’s best and most fully realized album to date — will help carry fans through this one as well.
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Sputnik Music
More than any Weeknd album since Trilogy, Dawn FM deserves to be listened to in full. Truthfully, comparisons to previous successes may prove a bit of a disservice to what is a worthy and fresh addition to The Weeknd's evergrowing discography.
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musicOMH
With Dawn FM The Weeknd has demonstrated a vision that the vast majority of his peers would be incapable of, and has executed it with finesse and a slippery, enigmatic charm.
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The Lantern
Although The Weeknd's talent is not up for debate, his inability to create new, unique sounds on this project consistently and stay true to the central theme holds this album back from being a contender for album of the year.
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The Line of Best Fit
An upbeat The Weeknd perfects his pop formula on Dawn FM, a radio show for the end of the world.
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Hot New HipHop
Dawn FM is a redefining moment for The Weeknd as he embarks on the second decade of his record-breaking career, but ultimately, only time will tell. For now, the Weeknd’s attention to detail and earnest effort on every bridge, verse, beat transition, and radio-themed skit has yielded a strangely beautiful project that serves as another great addition to his increasingly remarkable catalog. It’s far too soon to make any haphazard claims about where it ranks amongst The Weeknd’s other works, but Dawn FM is his most imaginative, haunting, and thought-provoking release in a very long time.
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Evening Standard
Abel Tesfaye reaches his pop prime with a sparkling set of songs.
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Pepperdine Graphic
As a whole, the radio station themed album shows The Weeknd fully embracing the synth-pop genre after giving us a taste of it on his previous project.
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ZU Media
“Dawn FM” is a cohesive album that has a set narrative and vibe. Although it was a risk to go for this new sound, it was the most diverse and “out there” project in Tesfaye’s discography. Change doesn’t always have to be a good thing. I for one love a cohesive album and transitioning tracks, but with some of them dragging on the way they did, I felt bored at times. I was pleased with the majority of the album, but overall this album may sit at #5 in terms of Tesfaye’s entire discography.
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Commedia
In an album with such highly conceptual value, evaluated in its entirety, The Weeknd is surely a jock of many trades in the music world. Endless No.1 chart toppers, 138 awards, and 417 nominations. It can be quite accurately concluded that he will belong among the music legends as a Michael Jackson of our time.
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HipHop DX
THE WEEKND 'DAWN FM' IS AN 80S-THRILL RIDE WITH R&B, HIP HOP, POP & DISCO FOR WHEELS.
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Beats Per Minute
Admittedly, The Weeknd is light years away from the sounds of Trilogy and a lot closer to the sounds of After Hours and Starboy, but one thing is for sure: this album is much closer to excellence than his last offerings.
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The Needle Drop
While a bit front-loaded, Dawn FM boasts a lot of fantastic songwriting and worldbuilding from Abel and company.
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The Upcoming
Every Angel Is Terrifying mocks up commercial breaks with the dishonest trappings of the afterlife with interviews and adverts. Numbers change and promises aren’t always consistent. Phantom Regret by Jim closes and ties together all the themes. Derived from “phantom pains”, the imagery is of dawn breaking through, with promises of everything humans associate with peace, heaven and eternal paradise – fitting, considering Carrey once played God in Bruce Almighty.
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The Chimes
Overall, The Weeknd has yet again released another amazing album, topping the charts in 10 different countries around the world and two tracks ranking in the Top Ten of the Billboard’s Global 200 chart. There is so much potential with this album and the possibilities are endless.
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Ben's Beat
While the tracks here likely won’t be as iconic as the majority of After Hours in the long run, it’s a truly intriguing and conceptually-driven second installment to what is apparently a trilogy of interconnected albums – one that curiously concludes its first installment with the protagonist’s death. Now that The Weeknd has seemingly made it to heaven, it’s impossible to predict where he’ll go next – but it’ll probably sound pretty spectacular regardless.
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New York Post
But The Weeknd picks up the pace again at the end with the deceptively buoyant “Less Than Zero” — an ’80s movie reference to go along with its sound — which will have you doing your best Molly Ringwald shimmy. It’s all enough to make you forgive him for closing “Dawn FM” with more mumbo jumbo from his pal Carrey.
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DIY Magazine
It’s so spot-on ’80s as to imagine Max Headroom could interrupt at any given moment.
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HubPages
Overall though, ‘Dawn FM’ is home to a sizeable playlist of undeniable tunes, alongside some filler moments.
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The Collegiate Live
I can safely say that The Weeknd has matured as an artist, and this album is a start to something new in his career. I can’t wait to see what is next for him and hope to see more music coming soon.
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Knox News
Sonically, “Dawn FM” is compelling from start to finish, though the words may be a depressing distraction to some. But given what the world has faced the past two years, the lyrics might feel appropriate.
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The Independent Florida Alligator
This is a great new selection for Karaoke Night with friends or family.
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Magnetic Magazine
Like After Hours, this is a deep dive into the 1980’s and synthwave. Yes, the strong pop hooks and R&B singing is there, but this is all about the long drive. After Hours was the time when things devolved, but now this is getting home with the sun slowly peaking up over the horizon. It is time to tune into 103.5 Dawn FM.
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The Mercer Cluster
The Weeknd returns with a dream-like, new wave pop album in “Dawn FM”.
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Soul in Stereo
I gave up on listening to the radio in the 2000s because they were obsessed with playing the same stuff over and over AND OVER again. At its worst moments, Dawn FM reminds me of those annoying days. But when Weeknd freshens up his playlist, it’s a pretty good listen and reminds me of Abel the Innovator, not the imitator.
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The State Press
"Dawn FM" has earned its place as one of my all-time favorite albums. Not just because of the way The Weeknd mashes genres in a way that should be criminal, but also because of his lyrical portrayal of the complexity in relationships. The Weeknd's songs explore the wicked romantic fallouts, the toxicity of forbidden attraction, and the gritty, poisonous addiction of love. For that I have to commend him.
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