It'll be almost exactly two years since the release of Kiss Land when The Weeknd's second proper studio album, Beauty Behind The Madness, hits stores, and much has changed in the world of Abel Tesfaye. A collaboration with Ariana Grande, and the Michael Jackson-channeling "I Can't Feel My Face" have found the singer approaching traditional pop songwriting with the help of Max Martin, and proved him capable of playing the charismatic frontman role as well as the disconnected R&B outsider he introduced himself as.
Still, his singles have also hinted at a return to form, reuniting the singer with Trilogy-sculpting producer Illangelo on "The Hills". This, paired with rumors that Kanye West will be the sole feature on the new LP make it difficult to predict what we'll be getting with The Weeknd's new material, but one thing's for sure-- we know what we want.
Click through for five things we're hoping to see on Abel's new project. Let us know what you'll be looking for in the comments below.
Item #1
Some "House Of Balloons"-style songs for the day-one fans
While The Weeknd has put out three projects since his mysterious debut, it's still generally agreed upon that House Of Balloons is the singer's definitive project. While Kiss Land built on the paranoid sounds of Trilogy with more complex arrangements, recent single, "The Hills," found Abel reuniting with Illangelo for the first time since Echoes Of Silence. The pairing resulted in the the most successful recapturing of the HOB feel yet, while still feeling like a step forward.
We're excited for Abel to try out some new sounds on Beauty Behind The Madness, but we'd be disappointed if we didn't hear at least a couple of songs that harken back to the style he more-or-less created, and did so well.
More Max Martin/Michael Jackson influence
More Max Martin/Michael Jackson influence
The Weeknd's vocals have always had a hint of Michael Jackson in them, nut on Echoes Of Silence opener, "Dirty Diana," he let it come full force. Since the cover, we've been craving more of that stuttered precision, and "I Can't Feel My Face" delivered on the promise.
Teaming with seasoned producer and songwriter Max Martin is never a bad idea (just ask Taylor Swift), and the Swedish mastermind's unmatched knowledge of pop songcraft helped Abel to flesh out his transformation from cold-eyed outsider to populist hero.
While a full 180 into radio records would leave too much of his talent off the table, we'd love to see a couple more songs in this style on Beauty Behind The Madness. A welcome shot of color in Abel's sepia-toned world.
Item #2
Another Drake collaboration
There was a time when Drake and The Weeknd were often mentioned in the same sentence. In recent years, they've take their own paths, but despite rumors of a beef between the two Toronto-repping artists, they'll still come together to collaborate when the time is right.
The two worked closely on Drizzy's masterwork, Take Care, collaborating not only on as performers, but songwriters. We're hoping that Drake can return in a similar role somewhere on BBTM, working with Abel to establish a feel rather than simply adding a 16 to one of the records-- getting Drake back into full-out R&B mode would be an added bonus.
Harder, rap-influenced songs like "Drinks On Us"
While on his break between album cycles, The Weeknd remixed a few songs that inspired him, all of which bridged the gap between rap and R&B. The songs in question were "Drunk In Love;" a Detail-produced number which inspired Beyonce to spit harder than her husband, "Or Nah;" a DJ Mustard slow-burner with plenty of grit, and "Drinks On Us;" a falsetto-driven banger that has Mike Will calling for rappers to start adding (Inspired By Swae Lee) to their song titles.
All of the songs match explicit late-night fantasies with pummeling sub-bass, and mark perfect territory for Abel. What these record do is force the singer to take that extra step out of the alleyway and into the club, and his remixes prove he can pull it off.
Item #1
The rumored Kanye West feature
A recent report suggested that Kanye West will be the only feature on BBBTM, which while conflicting with our wishes for a Drake collab is certainly an interesting prospect. The most exciting part of the news is that it's almost impossible to predict what the record will sound like. Did Kanye bring Abel a "Four, Five, Seconds"-esque McCartney ballad? Did he supply some grimy Yeezus-synths? Will he sing? Will he rap?
Whatever we get, we're sure it'll be something special. Plus, it adds yet another degree of mystery to what we'll be hearing from The Weeknd this time around. What are you looking to hear from Abel's next step? Let us know in the comments.