Once an anonymous artist, Abel Tesfaye began his career in 2010 by uploading his music to YouTube with his stage name The Weeknd. He attracted the attention of more listeners after making his way to the stage in 2011. The Weeknd has since been made the superstar of the 2021 Super Bowl, performing Blinding Lights from his album After Hours. 

While Dawn FM arguably doesn’t have any groundbreaking songs, it is a cohesive album that should be first listened to in the tracks’ suggested order. The concept of this album is built around a retro radio station, Dawn FM, taking the audience through a purgatory-like experience.  The eerie synth tied in with the 80’s pop style makes for an illusion of the afterlife. 

The album includes 80’s power ballads in “Take My Breath”, “Less Than Zero”, and “Sacrifice.” Soulful R&B  is also displayed on tracks “A Tale by Quincy,” “Is There, Someone, Else,” and “Here We Go Again.” There is also the classic city pop on “Out of Time.”

Unlike the other works we have seen from this artist, the most recent album may be misunderstood by listeners and convey the wrong meaning if not listened to with a different perspective than Abel’s past albums. Throughout his career, Abel hasn’t produced uplifting music; most of Abel’s music can be loosely gripped into three moods: love ballad, male misery, or sexual context. Dawn FM goes against this pattern. Some listeners have suggested that this album is the second out of a three-part series and that this album projects his hope for peace and healing. In his previous album After Hours, he describes how his life in LA had been smothering him, displaying the artist hitting emotional rock bottom. Dawn FM, though the theme may be dark, is Abel’s first stab at a lighter sound; away from the drug-fueled escapism that was his previous style. 

If audience members take away anything from this album it should be the adept lyricism presented. Jim Carry is a huge part of what made Dawn FM unique. His voice is on three tracks with the most memorable one being “Phantom Regret by Jim.” He recites a poem focused on self-acceptance, realization, and movement forward from the mistakes and regrets listeners might have. 

The imagery shown throughout the album makes it so much more than another collection of songs. He uses the interpretation of a ghostly radio station traveling through the cosmos. Overall, the most powerful part of this album is the concept of life and death being used as a devices to symbolize letting go of past regret and mistakes. This production is relatable for all audiences because they all have two things in common: they are all going to die and no one on this earth lives without making mistakes and regrets. Only a few know how to let go of this pain, move on, and live out the rest of their life in peace.