"If they can watch me f*** it up all in one night," Abel Tesfaye aka the Weekend croons over a soft bed of delicate strings. Since word one, we've been hearing the Weeknd do just that; engaging in some of the most stomach-churning voyeurism of the decade. We watch helpless while copious bottles and pills are popped, and meaningful relationships are cashed in for the next best thing. It hasn't been just one night, but countless drug addled ones, a steadily emptying bottle of "Henny," the only reliable measurement of the time.
New single "Live For" finds the Weeknd on the verge of losing control once more, "spending whatever come in," and "living dreams we can never afford". The disparity between Tesfaye's words creates a chasm between the twin peaks of egoism and self-deflation. He manages the improbable task of sounding like the lonely guy in the corner and the life-of-the-party all at once. Drake drops in to assess the situation, "seriously questioning all of y'all." His beef-squashing verse moves through s***-talking and self-doubt with aplomb, only fueling the paradoxical fire Tesfaye sparked in his verse. What you live for can be the same thing that burns you.
Kiss Land is out 9/10 via Republic.
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