I cannot believe I hadn’t written a review since late November when Adele released “30” and then proceeded to hold on to the top spot for the majority of December before being overtaken by Ed Sheeran in the first week of the new year. However, it was widely known that the Weeknd’s “Dawn FM” would take the top spot. It is quite a quirky little record with its premise of you listening to the radio, complete with jingles and advertisements featuring the likes of Jim Carrey and Quincy Jones, to name a few. It made the interludes more intriguing, although I did skip them because you all know my opinions on interludes. Abel has gone for that 80s feel again, as he did on the previous album that spawned the 2020 ‘Blinding Lights’ track and featured on the Mercedes advertisement. It sounds futuristic and retro, with music by Daft Punk and Nile Rodgers. The aforementioned do not feature on the record save for some samples. The production this time includes Calvin Harris and Swedish House Mafia, among others. 

Another thing you will notice about the album is you are listening from inside your vehicle in a traffic jam, but you are dead. It is quite a dark concept. Why, you ask? The theory follows from the previous records where the narrator has finally met his end. Is that true? It could be because the lyrical content seems to suggest it. As we know, Abel talks about drug use and the perils of it and sex in a non-romantic way. 

Abel can sometimes be compared to the Cure for his use of gothic elements but still staying sonically within the chart-friendly confines. 

So, you have him discussing gothic things, but the music fits nicely with the singles charts and takes the edge off, like the Cure executed perfectly in their prime. Since then, the band has gotten darker, but they balance out their shows with those pop classics we grew up with (Well, it depends on who is reading this and how young you are.). Abel, thus far, has kept it under a tight lid, but he unleashes the gothic narrative from Pandora’s box on this record.

This album would make an excellent soundtrack for a remake of Buck Rogers or the gang warfare classic the Warriors. My favourite track was ‘Take My Breath’; I heard the sample of Daft Punk’s ‘Da Funk’ and Nile Rodgers-esque guitar playing. I particularly enjoyed the “Alternate World” section with a remix of ‘Take My Breath’ featuring Agents of Time. It felt like a moment of being in a club, enjoying life and reaching up as the song reaches the drop. I cannot wait for the club-inspired remix to be played out across nightclubs worldwide. So, with “Dawn FM”, we have an album where you listen to the radio while stuck in a traffic jam en route to the other side with lost souls DJing or on advertisements, not fully accepting that they are no longer alive. It is quite a departure from Abel’s usual subjects. He appears to have matured and is willing to refrain from talking about drugs and sex. Although the music may be uplifting 80s, the topics are far darker.

Song recommendations: ‘Take My Breath’, ‘Take My Breath(Remix)’, ‘Out of Time’

8/10