Abel Tesfaye, better known as The Weeknd has recently come out with a new, six song EP titled, My Dear Melancholy. He uses his smooth vocals and spin on the mainstream R&B style to express his feelings over break-up with celebrity Selena Gomez. Although the EP is quite short, it explores so many of his emotions, I feel we don’t need anymore.
The Weeknd has been around for awhile now, really making his debut with the song “The Hills” in 2015. Along with that he released the album Beauty Behind The Madness. If we are getting technical, he first officially released an album in 2011, but wasn’t a well known name until the 2015 album. Since then, he has gained even more recognition by collaborating with other big name artists such as, Future Hendrix, Drake, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, and is even featured on a song with Beyonce. If we are comparing this newest EP The Weeknd is taking his foot out of the pop world and dipping it into the R&B style.
Lyrics are getting more meaningful, and he is really starting to show a different side of himself. Tesfaye let himself be publically vulnerable, leading to more people being able to relate to him.
In the opener of the EP, “Call Out My Name”, Abel’s melancholy really comes out in his lyrics. He sings, “We found each other, I helped you out of a broken place. You gave me comfort, but falling for you was my mistake.” He appears to feel mixed emotions about the whole situation. They helped each other, but he feels falling for her was his own mistake, like he should have known. The EP also features the song “Wasted Times” where he reflects on his personal choices. In the chorus he sings “Wasted times, I spent with someone else, she wasn’t even half of you, reminiscing how you felt.” This makes us think, was the break-up his fault, or was is Selena’s. Either way, this represents a very relatable situation, especially for the teen listeners.
To me, the whole album was really great. There wasn’t a particular song that was lacking, lyrically or vocally. With that being said, I personally think that “Call Out My Name” sticks out the most of the songs on the EP. The song encompasses all of his emotions and represents the EP well. The lyrics are meaningful, and his voice is like butter, which is why I think it is so good. Although the EP only includes six songs, it doesn’t feel like he has any ‘fillers’ or songs that just aren’t that great. Out of all of his albums that have been released this year, this one is definitely my favorite.
Overall, My Dear Melancholy is an absolute, must listen if you like the R&B genre. I would give it a solid 9 out of 10. The Weeknd’s voice just make the songs that much better. On top of that, his lyrics are very relatable, which is why I think he is so popular. This is just a great EP in all, and I would recommend it to everyone.
