Review: Starboy (The Weeknd ft. Daft Punk)

The quality of a man's music occasionally corresponds with the quality of their hairstyle.

Let me introduce to you The Weeknd. The Weeknd, real name Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, is an R&B singer from Toronto who first saw undergorund popularity in 2011 with the release of his first trilogy of mixtapes, as well as an endorsement from fellow Toronto citizen and singer/rapper Drake. Since then, he's released two albums, Kiss Land and Beauty Behind the Madness, the latter being his transition to the mainstream. Now, his third studio album, Starboy, is almost on the way, and with it, an image change. The Weeknd actually has a sensible hairstyle for once. The title track, featuring French production duo and verified cool dudes Daft Punk, was the first single released from the album, and it entered the top 40 instantly. Does this song improve on the legacy of Stupid Hair McGee? Or... was the haircut not enough? Without further ado, let's find out.

Immediately, the production stood out to me. I don't know what it is that catches my fancy, but this song sounds great. We can thank Daft Punk for that; they don't sing, but they are the head producers. It's not the electronic or funk-influenced sound they are famous for, but they obviously know what they are doing. Very few instruments, but the ones that do show up give a very dark, but still pop-sounding song that fits The Weeknd's vocal style far better than most songs off of Beauty Behind the Madness (i.e. The Hills, the most overrated song off of that album).

Then there's The Weeknd himself. Is he any good? Well, I've certainly warmed up to him as a performer over the past two years (when I first heard him on Ariana Grande's Love Me Harder, I was outright baffled), and he's impressed me before. Suffice to say, he's still good on here. Why?

The Weeknd has an innate cockiness in his voice that shows through oftentimes on his own material, but it's very clear he is not sincere. This song is incredibly cocky and vain, but more in an ironic fashion. Thus, the two go together like bread and butter. He's cocky, the song's cocky, he sounds like Jeremih if Jeremih had any talent. It's a great one.

Oh yeah, the actual content of the song. Like I said, it's a very vain track. However, it reeks of The Weeknd's signature irony. It's more a cautionary tale about a man who had it all and it changed him. The success combined with the lifestyle made him fragile, made him weak, and he had to change. He grew arrogant and self-centered, a shell of his former self. It's an interesting concept for a song, and these guys were the perfect trio to make that work.

Overall, it was a great song. Everything about it was just plain great. As always, be sure to check out my other reviews, my Leaguepostings, if you ever feel the need, go ahead and leave a comment. Good night.


SCORE: 8.75/10