“Dawn FM” by the Weeknd
“Dawn FM”: a dark reflection of life and death in the modern world
By: Max Killeen
“Dawn FM” is the throwback title of The Weeknd’s newest album. From the first track’s opening interlude, you can tell you’re going to be in for something evocative and interesting. This is the first album the Weeknd has released after his massive performance at Super Bowl LV, and he comes in with a variety of sounds and subject matter in this album. Clocking in at under an hour with 16 tracks, “Dawn FM” is a well-paced and -spaced album that has few points that drag or are hard to get through. Every track fits perfectly and never overstays its welcome. The album’s pace starts off fast, but slows down as it goes on. “Dawn FM” combines a vast array of genres into one package, including sounds from genres like synth pop, contemporary R&B, 70s funk, yacht rock, and 80s pop. Despite this vast array of influences and sounds, it is still unmistakably Weeknd. His immediately recognizable singing style and voice tie each track together, letting you know that this isn’t just some hollow, disconnected retro throwback. It's the Weeknd—you know it’s going to be polished and worth the listen.
Diving into the lyrical content and ideas of “Dawn FM,” it’s immediately apparent how dark it is compared to other contemporary pop or R&B artists. Throughout “Dawn FM,” the Weeknd frankly discusses sex, addiction, drug use, infidelity, love, death, wealth, and victimization. The album is very foreboding and manic, even dipping into malice on tracks like “Here We Go… Again.” One of the Weeknd’s strengths across all of his work, especially in “Dawn FM,” is his ability, through his lyricism and performance, to make you feel his pain and anxiety. This comes through on tracks like “Best Friends” and “Gasoline,” which are driving, synth-heavy tracks that really make you feel his longing and anger. However, the album is not one long depressing drive through the dark. Interlaced through “Dawn FM” are brief moments of bliss, happiness, and saccharine nostalgia on tracks like “Out of Time” and “Less Than Zero.” But they only serve as brief respites from the frantic, all-consuming malice and venom of the rest of the album.
One of my favorite recurring ideas throughout the album is the obvious attempt to make it feel like you’ve stumbled upon an heretofore unknown radio station on a late night drive. Beyond that, there is a sense of constant foreboding, helped in part by the interludes spread across the tracklist. On the beginnings and ends of tracks, there is vaguely cult-like narration by Jim Carrey. His calming and reassuring voice leads you towards a “light’ and “bliss” far off in the distance. The deeper you delve into the album, the subject of his monologs grows more and more apparent. By the final track of the album, “Phantom Regret by Jim,” it is apparent that “Dawn FM” is, intentionally or not, an allegory for purgatory. And I would argue that it is also an allegory for our current conditions in the United States and in the world more broadly. Take “Every Angel is Terrifying,” for instance. It is a skit track that advertises “the afterlife” as a product you can call and order. It is an extremely interesting commentary on consumerism, whether it is intentional or not.
“Dawn FM” is an amazing album. From the tight, well-engineered production on the instrumentals and the Weeknd’s incredibly smooth vocals to the existential commentary on life, it is a fantastic experience from beginning to end. Features from legendary artists like Tyler, The Creator, Lil Wayne, and Jim Carrey add unexpected but pleasant flourishes that only add to the extracorporeal feeling one gets when listening to the album. Overall, the Weeknd delivers endlessly catchy songs with simultaneously relevant lyrics and themes, culminating in an album that serves as a perfect mirror for the modern condition.
8/10