Maps of Music

After Hours (2020)

Where the lyrics of After Hours take you, and where it was really made.

After Hours marked the Weeknd's fourth US number-one album, yet its title was borrowed from a 1985 Martin Scorsese film.

Key places

Henson Recording Studios (2020)

Recording site A&M Recording Studios — Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles is listed as one of the recording locations for After Hours. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Conway Recording Studios (2020)

Recording site Conway Recording Studios — Conway Recording Studios in Los Angeles is listed as one of the recording locations for After Hours. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Jungle City Studios (2020)

Recording site Jungle City Studios — Jungle City Studios in New York City is listed as one of the recording locations for After Hours. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Noble Street Studios (2020)

Recording site Noble Street Studios — Noble Street Studios in Toronto is listed as one of the recording locations for After Hours. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• After Hours: fourth studio album by the Weeknd, Canadian singer-songwriter
• Released March 20, 2020 by XO and Republic Records
• Standard edition has no guest appearances; deluxe edition adds Ariana Grande; remixes edition adds Chromatics and Lil Uzi Vert
• First installment of a trilogy, followed by Dawn FM (2022) and Hurry Up Tomorrow (2025)
• Themes: loneliness, self-loathing, escapism
• Title borrowed from the 1985 film of the same name

Background

• Weeknd confirmed before release that the album would contrast stylistically with its predecessor, Starboy (2016)
• Some critics noted new wave and dream pop influences, read as an artistic reinvention
• Weeknd first teased a new album in November 2018 during a performance
• Five singles: 'Heartless', 'Blinding Lights', the title track, 'In Your Eyes', 'Save Your Tears'
• Album dedicated to longtime fan Lance, host of the XO Podcast, who died the night before release

Recording

• Production mainly handled by the Weeknd with a variety of producers
• Other producers include DaHeala, Illangelo, Max Martin, Metro Boomin and OPN
• Most of these producers had worked with the Weeknd previously

Cover

• Artwork and aesthetic described as psychedelic and inspired by films such as Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Joker, Casino and Uncut Gems
• Weeknd kept a red suit and a specific hairstyle across artwork, videos, teasers and live performances
• Overall art direction by the Tammi brothers; design by Aleksi Tammi
• Creative direction by the Weeknd's creative director and childhood friend La Mar Taylor

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Abel Tesfaye, born February 16, 1990, Scarborough, Ontario, Canada; Ethiopian immigrant parents
• Began releasing music anonymously on YouTube in 2009; stage name derived from a weekend moved to Parkdale
• Co-founded the XO record label in 2011 with Wassim Slaiby, Amir Esmailian and La Mar Taylor

Members

• Solo artist; collaborators include producers Illangelo and Doc McKinney, and creative director La Mar Taylor

Career

• Debut mixtape House of Balloons (2011), followed by Thursday and Echoes of Silence; compiled into Trilogy (2012) after signing with Republic Records
• Studio albums Kiss Land (2013), Beauty Behind the Madness (2015), Starboy (2016), After Hours (2020), Dawn FM (2022), Hurry Up Tomorrow (2025)
• Blinding Lights named the best-performing song in Billboard Hot 100 history; first artist to surpass 100 million monthly listeners on Spotify
• Headlined the Super Bowl LV halftime show (2021); After Hours til Dawn Tour set a record for highest-grossing tour by a male soloist
• Co-created and starred in HBO series The Idol (2023) and the film Hurry Up Tomorrow (2025)
• Named UN World Food Programme goodwill ambassador in 2021

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• The album received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise for its production and cohesion
• The New York Times journalist Jon Caramanica complimented After Hours for its sparkled trauma and kaleidoscopic emotional confusion
• Consequence's Candace McDuffie wrote that the Weeknd continues to reinvent himself and that the album proves he is not done yet
• Exclaim! reviewer Jacob Carey described the album as the Weeknd's own version of Vegas
• The Guardian's Michael Cragg praised the sense of narrative cohesion and the feeling of a clear, singular vision
• Jon Dolan of Rolling Stone wrote that After Hours strikes the best balance between the earlier gloomy melodrama and the pop slickness of Starboy
• Writing for Variety, Jem Aswad branded After Hours the most fully realized album of the Weeknd's career
• In less favourable reviews, David Smyth of Evening Standard particularly praised the track 'Blinding Lights' but found the rest weaker
• Tom Hull rated the album a B grade, finding it remarkably consistent

Reappraisal

• Metacritic average score of 80, based on 20 reviews, indicating generally favorable reviews
• AnyDecentMusic? gave the album 7.7 out of 10 based on critical consensus
• Some critics named it the Weeknd's best work

Records

• US Billboard 200 debut at number one with 444,000 album-equivalent units, including 275,000 pure album sales
• Fourth US number-one album for the Weeknd
• Number one on the UK Albums Chart with over 26,000 units sold, his second UK number one
• Number one on the Canadian Albums Chart with 54,000 album-equivalent units
• Fourth best-selling album of 2020 with 2.032 million album-equivalent units
• Certified triple platinum by the RIAA on December 6, 2022
• No nominations at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards despite the critical success, which the Weeknd criticized

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The album was dedicated to longtime fan Lance, host of the XO Podcast, who died the night before the release.
• On March 19, 2020, After Hours broke the record for the most global pre-adds for an album in Apple Music history.
• It was the second most-streamed album of 2020 on Spotify.
• The Weeknd performed at the Super Bowl LV halftime show, which took place on February 7, 2021.
• A self-titled short film was released on March 4, 2020, continuing the storyline of the 'Heartless' and 'Blinding Lights' visuals.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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