- The Weeknd swings for the synth disco fences.
- Abel Tesfaye describes his hugely-anticipated fifth record as "Quincy Jones meets Giorgio Moroder meets the-best-night-of-your-fucking-life party." The first single off the forthcoming LP, the Max Martin and Oscar Holter-produced "Take My Breath," hints that The Weeknd, like Jessie Ware or his buddies Guy-Man & Thomas, is making a disco record. The four-minute track is replete with Moroder synth arpeggios and silky-smooth Bee Gees-style falsetto, but the end result is most reminiscent of '80s Stevie Nicks or Blondie's "Call Me," mainly due to the swaggering chorus. Time will tell if it proves to be a hit on the level of "Blinding Lights" (my prediction: it won't) but it's a catchy and memorable shift towards a new era for Tesfaye.