Starboy Review

On Nov. 25, Abel Tesfaye, also known as The Weeknd, released his third album, entitled “Starboy.” Tesfaye has become pretty popular for his past work, including songs like “Can’t Feel My Face” and “Earned It,” so his new album was highly anticipated by fans. The album has many upbeat pop songs, but also includes tracks with a variety of other vibes. The Weeknd focuses on his insights from previous relationships in many of the songs and collaborations with Daft Punk, Lana Del Ray, Kendrick Lamar and Future are also included in the mix. Starboy definitely isn’t The Weeknd’s best or most creative work but it is a decent album nonetheless. The album begins with a couple of energetic dance songs including the album’s namesake, “Starboy,” and closes with a very upbeat track titled “I Feel It Coming”. These songs all have an intense, driving beat and an excited, pumped up mood. A few of them are almost overpoweringly dynamic but “I Feel It Coming” gives off a very happy, feel good vibe. The album then transitions into a more somber mood with the track “True Colors.” This song lacks the strong, underlying bass that most of the upbeat records have which makes it seem more authentic and vulnerable. Following this is an ethereal interlude entitled “Stargirl” which features Lana Del Ray. This interlude is noticeably shorter than the rest of the songs but contains a sense of chemistry between Lana and Abel that cannot be found in any of the other collaborations on the album. After the interlude, there is a distinct change in the tone of the album, and many of the tracks sound pretty similar all with a somber yet melodic vibe and almost identical beats. The differences between these songs lie in their subject matter and accompaniments. One of the final tracks, “Die For You” is similar to the songs before it in its somber tone but it also seems to include more raw emotion and desperation than any the previous records. Many fans were disappointed by the album because they felt that it was very generic. They were expecting new and unique music but were let down to find that this new album was basically just a variation of The Weeknd’s old material. Since the Weeknd is known for being mysterious and unconventional, I had high expectations for the album, and it’s fair to say I was disappointed by the lack of originality. Despite this, Starboy has some good tracks and is a fine album overall.