Dawn FM is the fifth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter the Weeknd, released on January 7, 2022, by XO and Republic Records. It features narration by Jim Carrey, guest vocals from Tyler, the Creator and Lil Wayne, and spoken word appearances from Quincy Jones and Josh Safdie. As the album’s executive producers, the Weeknd, Max Martin and Oneohtrix Point Never recruited a variety of other producers such as Oscar Holter, Calvin Harris and Swedish House Mafia.
The Weeknd described the album’s concept as a state of purgatory—a journey towards the light at the end of a tunnel, serving as a follow-up to his fourth studio album, After Hours (2020). Musically, Dawn FM is an upbeat record containing dance-pop and synth-pop songs that are heavily inspired by the 1980s new wave, funk and electronic dance music styles. Upon release, the album received widespread acclaim from music critics, who complimented its production and melodies.
Three singles were released from the album, of which the lead single “Take My Breath” peaked at number six on the US Billboard Hot 100. The Weeknd promoted Dawn FM with an Amazon Music event on the album release day, in which he served as a disc jockey and played the album to an audience. To further support both Dawn FM and After Hours, the Weeknd plans to embark on his seventh concert tour, the After Hours til Dawn Stadium Tour, scheduled to visit Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa and the Americas in the summer of 2022.
Tracklist:
01 – Dawn FM
02 – Gasoline
03 – How Do I Make You Love Me?
04 – Take My Breath
05 – Sacrifice
06 – A Tale By Quincy
07 – Out of Time
08 – Here We Go… Again (feat. Tyler, The Creator)
09 – Best Friends
10 – Is There Someone Else?
11 – Starry Eyes
12 – Every Angel is Terrifying
13 – Don’t Break My Heart
14 – I Heard You’re Married (feat. Lil Wayne)
15 – Less Than Zero
16 – Phantom Regret by Jim
OVERALL RATING: 5 stars