What genre does The Weeknd belong to exactly? R&B tinged with soul/disco/hip hop/alt-rock/synth/downtempo/funk? Probably. As an artist who kept himself “shrouded in mystery” and deftly used it to further intrigue listeners, Torontonian singer-songwriter Abel Tesfaye isn’t evoking the novel qualities so eagerly anticipated. Kiss Land is a too polished debut. When he sings out with a slight quaver of that inimitable falsetto,“I just love that you’re dead inside / I’m not a fool, I’m just lifeless too / But you taught me how to feel,” the contradiction accurately represents the feel of the hyper-suggestive album.
Tesfaye’s skillful arrangements with creating musical textures are clearly evidenced on numbers like the acid tripping title track “Kiss Land” and 80’s throwback “Wanderlust.” The ability has been long revealed with his 2010 mixtapes, but this time around much of his lyrics are awfully unoriginal to the point of involuntary eye rolling. Interlocking lyrics contemplating girls, sex, money, and narcotics (sometimes all at once) give off an almost dull, studied quality of clichés that even his distinct vocal talents can’t pull off. It makes the debut album quietly pale in comparison to his debut mixtape, House of Balloons. Or perhaps it’s just part of the mystery being gone.
Okay. Frankly, despite the disappointing formulaic attributes of Kiss Land, it’s hard not to fall under the spell of that androgynous falsetto. Never did singing about nihilism seem more alluring, emoting drug-fueled, twisted unhappiness almost too well. It’s just too bad the singer seems to know it and settle for type rather than variance.
Tesfaye sounded even more depressed than usual on Kiss Land, so with any luck it’ll all go up next time around. Like The Weeknd’s efforts to create that melodic version of getting high, I’ll press replay because I can’t refuse—doesn’t mean I’ll always like myself afterwards for it.
Review by Sandy Chung. Follow her on Twitter at @sndychng.
