Thursday
by The Weeknd
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 17
  3. Negative: 0 out of 17
  1. Pitchfork
    Aug 29, 2011
    79
    Though there's less breathing space on Thursday, and fewer melodic hooks, it still feels of a piece with House of Balloons.
  2. Q Magazine
    Nov 8, 2011
    80
    Toronto outfit, The Weekend, have been hailed as one of the most exciting new sounds in modern R&B -- hype that, on the basis of this equally startling follow-up, seems entirely justified. [Nov. 2011, p. 138]
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  3. Rolling Stone
    Aug 30, 2011
    60
    While it's refreshing to hear an R&B singer emphasizing the psychic toll of libertinism, his angst sex grows tiresome. Once in a while, can't this dude just get laid, and have fun doing it?
  5. The A.V. Club
    Sep 6, 2011
    75
    It's a rare songwriter who can craft music that's so repellent yet also so irresistible.
  6. Consequence
    Aug 29, 2011
    80
    Despite the ridiculously high highs of this album, it fails to maintain a great pace throughout. It struggles back and forth between "good" and "great," whereas its foregoer grabbed "great" by the balls on the first track and never let go.
  7. Slant Magazine
    Aug 31, 2011
    80
    The Weeknd is in full command of his craft, and at this point it's almost impossible for me to imagine that he won't deliver on the finale. He's earned my trust, as would any other artist who had already released two of the year's best albums.
  8. Tiny Mix Tapes
    Sep 1, 2011
    60
    But by continuing to relentlessly mine the same fundamentally limited descriptions of groupies and Schedule VI narcotics, The Weeknd risks coming off as bored as its debauched narrator.
  9. NOW Magazine
    Sep 1, 2011
    80
    It's not quite perfect: his voice is the star of the show but is occasionally buried under the clever beats and production. But that's a small complaint about someone who's looking more and more like one of the most exciting artists to emerge this year.
  10. No Ripcord
    Nov 8, 2011
    80
    It's yet another labor of love from The Weeknd, and it does not disappoint.
  11. Sputnikmusic
    Aug 29, 2011
    90
    Listening to something like Thursday is the ultimate form of escapism that so many of us flock to music for. That's a quality that should be celebrated, not criticized for its lack of immediate pleasure.
  12. Prefix Magazine
    Aug 29, 2011
    85
    In short, Thursday is a mixtape of subtleties.
  13. BBC Music
    Aug 29, 2011
    80
    File him beside Frank Ocean as an RnB star set to climb to new heights in 2012.
  14. cokemachineglow
    Sep 21, 2011
    81
    Nothing on Thursday sounds like filler.
  15. Beats Per Minute
    Aug 29, 2011
    83
    Thursday continues a linear narrative that House of Balloons started and its far from an afterthought or epilogue.
  16. Resident Advisor
    Aug 31, 2011
    80
    Rather than crystal-clear crooning, we get choirs of Tesfayes swirling and winding around elaborate, meandering songs.
  17. Absolute Punk (Staff reviews)
    Sep 13, 2011
    84
    While less varied in the style department than its predecessor, Thursday is another intimate look at the Tesfaye and the life he lives as The Weeknd.
  18. DJ Booth
    Aug 29, 2011
    70
    To play the devil's advocate to the devil's advocate I just played, Thursday does shown a sonic growth from House of Balloons. It even dares – gasp – to up the tempo, bringing in a rapid fire hi-hat to propel the hook of Life of the Party and giving Heaven or Las Vegas a multi-instrument, layered sound we hadn't heard from them before.

Awards & Rankings

73
#73 Most Discussed Album of 2011

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.5

Universal acclaim- based on 187 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 170 out of 187
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 187
  3. Negative: 6 out of 187
  1. MusicLovr
    Nov 9, 2011
    10
    AMAZING album, fantastic sounds very catchy and The Weeknd vocals add to the already amazing album, Also his producers are some of the bestAMAZING album, fantastic sounds very catchy and The Weeknd vocals add to the already amazing album, Also his producers are some of the best out there crystal clear sound quality. This is basically a gift hence the fact that you can download it legally for free in his official website www.the-weeknd.com… Full Review »
  2. administraitor
    Oct 22, 2011
    9
    This album is so fantastic. The Weeknd is IMO the most creative and intriguing artist out there right now. This album is not as consistent asThis album is so fantastic. The Weeknd is IMO the most creative and intriguing artist out there right now. This album is not as consistent as House of Balloons but has higher highs. the self titled track, The Zone, and the Birds Part I and II are all incredible songs with so much depth and emotion in the singing. The Weeknd is surely growing as an artist, and singer, and a producer. The reviews claiming it's just "more of the same" weren't listening very closely.… Full Review »
  3. All_ButTrU4
    Aug 25, 2022
    4
    Though there's less breathing space on Thursday, and fewer melodic hooks, it still feels of a piece with House of Balloons.
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