‘Dawn FM’ offers rare, album-long journey through sonic abyss

Purgatory and death -  these words deeply define the newest album released by Abel Tesafaye, otherwise known as The Weeknd. After Tesafaye killed off his character in After Hours, Dawn FM continues his story. The album doesn’t rush into the afterlife; the listener needs to experience annihilation before reaching the light at the end of the tunnel. These dark themes are cleverly masked by 80s R&B instrumentals to create deceptively catchy pop songs. Leading the drive to death through narration is none other than Jim Carrey, who makes the album feel more like listening to a DJ on the radio.

Starting off the album, “Dawn FM” includes an introduction into the world painted in the tracks, with the sound of birds chirping quickly fading away to welcome death and the afterlife. Through a spoken monologue, the DJ host explains not to be afraid as he’ll be there to guide listeners through a “painless transition” into the afterlife. This fairly short song marks the beginning of the journey through purgatory, preparing the listener for what comes next.

Ringing in the 80s pop sound, “Gasoline” explains the toxic relationship with his lover. Using the relationship as a support for his drug usage, he depends on his lover, especially when he accidentally overdoses. But after surviving this existential crisis, he realizes there is no true meaning to life, and how those who do good deeds are never rewarded in the end. This same effect goes into relationships, and how one side gains and the other loses, creating an endless seesaw game between the two. He begs his lover to stay as the relationship is all he has left in his life. 

Continuing the story of their relationship, ”How Do I Make You Love Me?” welcomes the dance-pop genre, with Tesafaye asking his lover what he can do to make them stay with him. He understands now with fame that he has to ask for approval just for his lover to acknowledge his fantasies. With catchy rhythms, it makes the chorus easy to sing along to, and is also one of the most streamed songs on the album. Unfortunately, “Is There Someone Else” shows how his lover has strayed, and he expected it because he had cheated on her before. Through this slow track, he questions his partner and longs to know if what he had heard is true, yet in the end, they both will be hurt from the consequences.

Riding a smooth transition, the instrumentals change into “Take My Breath”, a song that was released in mid-2021.This track, however, is an extended version, using long instrumental breaks to take the listener on a trip. This 90s-psychedelic pop song highlights the concepts of temptation, romance, and passion. Tesafaye longs for feeling high through being with his lover, yet he knows she’ll be the death of him eventually. 

Continuing the theme of heartbreak, “Sacrifice” explains his drug addiction and the effects on his relationships, causing him to push his lover aside and strive for an artificial high instead of her love. To him, heartbreak is more painful than an addiction, and he believes he needs no fixing. Eventually, Tesfaye realizes that when he is with his lover, his attitude towards life changes (though as seen in future songs, this relationship isn’t perfect at all). In “Best Friends”, he tells his lover that what they have is a friendship, and she shouldn’t become too attached to him in fear she’ll break his heart eventually. 

Following the themes of “Is There Someone Else,”  the heartbreak echoes throughout “Don’t Break My Heart.”  Tesafaye begs his lover to not leave him, for he is addicted to her and her love. He is not ready for another heartbreak, with the pain from his past relationship almost killing him in the previous album, After Hours. 

Unfortunately, he finds himself involved with a woman who was married in the song “I Heard You Were Married.” This song takes the perspective of a man who got played by the woman of his dreams as well as magnifying the pain that comes with it. This collaboration with rapper Lil Wayne has sparked many fan-theories about the song being about Ariana Grande. The many collaborations between the two and the fact that Grande recently tied the knot with Dalton Gomez makes this plausible, though nothing was officially confirmed.

Another collaboration that graces the album is“Here We Go… Again” with Tyler, The Creator. The song recalls relationships where the other was focused on their fame and fortune. Although these relationships were painful for them, they are both ready to commit to love again.

Standing as an interlude, “A Tale by Quincy” is a spoken story shared by music producer James Quincy, who shared his stories of past relationships. Through troubled upbringings, he finds his past having an effect on his future relationships, a common theme represented throughout the album. A similar theme appears at the end of the album, this time featuring DJ host Carrey. “Phantom Regret by Jim” stands as a reflection of one’s soul and how it grows through experiences and decisions made within a lifetime. The poem reflects that once one can accept the truth and who someone is as a person, they finally will be at peace.

“Out of Time” follows the themes present in the poem Carrey reads. In this song, Tesafaye realizes the mistakes he had made in a relationship and how he longs to fix them. Unfortunately, he had waited too long to realize reality because it was too late, and his lover moved on after fighting to save their relationship. Following this ballad, “Starry Eyes” shows that Tesafaye wanted to help her too and cared for her, and he won’t let his fears of love get in the way of his dream girl.

Sharing a similar transition as from previously in the album, “Starry Eyes” connects to the next song, “Every Angel is Terrifying”, which begins with a line from a poem by Rainer Maria Rilke about religious beauty and the horror that comes with it. As the song continues, it contrasts the promise made in the beginning of the album by cutting  to a commercial selling “After Life”, or death, with a phone number using all 4’s, an unlucky number  in East Asian cultures.

The final song concludes all the pain felt throughout the relationship, with the girl he used to be with seeing him as less than zero. He adds no value to her life, especially because he is a lover of drugs and women, and he refers to himself as a nihilist. Because of this, Tesafaye believes that he cannot be helped and he is fine, similar to “Sacrifice”. The decision made by the girl stands as the best for the two, leaving the endless seesaw ride that had them trapped in toxicity. Tesafaye already had believed his lifestyle made him happy and no relationship could change his mind.

Above these dark themes, the lyricism and instrumentals create the perfect album to listen to on repeat. The radio-themed concept also makes this album perfect for listening to on a drive to any destination, especially with the disco City Pop genres included in it. With different genres and wonderful collaborations, the journey presented in Dawn FM is painful but a helpful insight about the reality of life; any choice can alter relationships and a person’s development. 

Grade: A-

By Ruby Pluchinsky

Oshkosh West Index Volume 118 Issue V

February 22, 2022