Sometimes you need a new sound in your life. And the end of a long week is usually that time, whether you’re looking to step it up for the weekend, or unplug on a Friday afternoon. Into the void steps The Weeknd, the psuedo-cryptic Toronto-based vaguely R & B project.
The Weeknd’s music – via the just-released 5-song free ep House of Balloons – mixes samples, instrumentation, and stuttering effects, resulting in an icy-hot final product. Each song has an emotional core, but to get there you have to walk down a long, lonely, spent sidewalk. In some ways, it’s the next step of the genre that music scribe Andrew Matson coined to desribe the sound of The XX: NoiR & B.
It’s not precisely music made for spring, when we’re supposed to be growing more hopeful, less layered, and more relaxed, but perhaps that’s why it stands out even more. Despite the hints of summer’s approach, there’s always going to be a gray morning.
Download: The Weeknd – House of Balloons
More goodies below the jump, including the tracklist and the download link for a screwed version of House of Balloons. Enjoy!
Download: The Weeknd – House of Balloons (screwed version)
House of Balloons tracklist:
01 High For This
02 What You Need
03 House Of Balloons – Glass Table Girls
04 The Morning
05 Wicked Games
06 The Party & The After Party
07 Coming Down
08 Loft Music
09 The Knowing
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