The Weeknd wants that old thang back on his new single “After Hours.”
The 30-year-old musician dropped the six-minute title track of his highly anticipated new album at the stroke of midnight on Wednesday (February 19), just hours after he revealed the project’s title and its official cover art.
On “After Hours,” the singer embodies the all-too-relatable mood of a newly single person, who needs their phone taken away as he pleads for another chance to make things right with a past love and talks of being unfulfilled by new faces. “My darkest hours/ Girl, I felt so alone inside of this crowded room/ Different girls on the floor, distractin’ my thoughts of you/ I turned into the man I used to be, to be/ Put myself to sleep/ Just so I can get closer to you inside my dreams/ Didn’t wanna wake up ‘less you were beside me/ I just wanted to call you and say, and say,” Weeknd belts.
However, the “Starboy” singer later reveals that he’s the cause of his own heartbreak, singing, “Oh, baby/ Where are you now when I need you most?/ I’d give it all just to hold you close/ Sorry that I broke your heart, your heart.”
Prior to the song’s release, Weeknd additionally confirmed that his previously released singles “Heartless” and “Blinding Lights” will serve as tracks 7 and 9, respectively, on After Hours, while the title track will be placed at No. 13. He also announced the release date for the project, telling fans they can expect the album on March 20. It will be his first album since 2016’s Starboy, and first project since his 2018 EP My Dear Melancholy.
As fans know, “After Hours” is a far cry from the tone of his previous single “Heartless,” which he dropped in November. On that track, Weekend sings about being over love ’cause he’s too busy “sellin’ dreams to these girls with their guard down” — his words — as he also provides savage one-liners for any and all toxic singles.
Given the extreme contrast between “After Hours” and “Heartless,” it’s basically guaranteed that After Hours will be a journey through varying moods.
