Myra, Dei & Mojo discuss the Weeknd's fifth album is both a sonic and thematic follow-up to After Hours. It also has him riding the cinematic and retro synth-pop sounds first explored in 2016's Star Boy to its zenith. This is immortalized by the A-list personnel behind the new project, from Swedish pop maestro Max Martin and EDM trio Swedish House Mafia to U.S. producer and film composer Daniel Lopatin, who goes by Oneohtrix Point Never, or OPN. You could argue that Dawn FM is merely a flowering of ideas that were there all along. House of Balloons creates chilly R&B out of samples of  Beach House, and Aaliyah and elsewhere seems to nod to the moody drums & bad vibes of Phil Collins classics and the bedroom antics of '90s R&B legends like Jodeci. Elsewhere, pop hitmaker Max Martin takes guitars and synths and transforms them into disco-inflected bangers such as the album's lone single, "Take my Breath." The rhythm guitars resemble a mix of '80s funk and Daft Punk on "Sacrifice," which was built atop a sample of Alicia Myers' 1981 track "I Want to Thank You." And on "Less Than Zero," a tender acoustic guitar opens a new-wave lane that we've never seen the Toronto singer explore before, a rare moment of sonic fun (it's also one of two tracks on this entire album that is in a primary key). There was even be a global early, live broadcast today on Amazon Music for those who are extra eager to share the listening experience with fans across the world. As we count down the hours until the official drop at midnight, I am extraordinarily thankful for The Weeknd's spontaneity, for I am sure we are about to experience music history in the making.
Listen to The Weeknd on Apple music. Also, they discuss. Gunna has come a long way, solidifying himself as one of the most prominent hitmakers coming out of Atlanta. Though he didn't release much music last year, he appeared on several other compilations like Young Thug's Punk, Pop Smoke's Faith, Doja Cat's Planet Her, and many others. Now, it's time for young Wunna to shine.
Additionally, he further explores the themes of people he can no longer trust and how that has changed him. In the chorus, he raps, "You know b*****s talk, but you were the boss, so we keep our business private." He backs up these lyrics by acknowledging how he has helped others with "I got some slimes out a beehive, I know they are dying 'bout it." Overall, this song is a coming-of-age track for Gunna and is a perfect opener for the final chapter of the Drip Season series. On the next track, "poochie gown," there is a lot of anticipation and beef surrounding this track. However, it seems that, while there may be a lot more behind the scenes of this track, the main point that comes to attention is his apparent diss at Freddie Gibbs—produced by Wheezy, this song bass-heavy track with Gunna delivering fast flows. Gunna drops the bar in the song, "Hang above the rim. I can't fuck with Freddie Gibbs." He even backed this up on Twitter with a diss that would eventually evolve into a series of tweets from Gibbs.