My Dear Melancholy, [EP]
by The Weeknd
  • Record Label: Republic
  • Release Date: Mar 30, 2018
Metascore
63

Generally favorable reviews - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
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  1. Variety
    Apr 5, 2018
    90
    There are no blockbuster hit singles like “I Can’t Feel My Face” or “Starboy,” but the melodic directness and Michael Jackson vocalisms of those songs is here, just buried under clouds of sad synthesizers and downcast beats. ... It’s a credit to this prolific and ever-evolving artist that he manages to be creatively restless and never stay in the same place for long while always sounding unmistakably like himself.
  2. Los Angeles Times
    Apr 2, 2018
    80
    What most demonstrates the Weeknd's growth on My Dear Melancholy, is the precision of his songwriting, even in material that downplays the flair for structure he developed while working with Martin.
  3. Exclaim
    Apr 2, 2018
    80
    In adding back into the mix that layer of unpredictability that's served him so well, the EP adds yet enough layer of complexity to an already diverse discography--while placing a few more musical bullets in the chamber for the next world tour.
  5. HipHopDX
    Apr 2, 2018
    80
    Yes, it’s true the mini-album doesn’t break any new ground, and--as he’s done in the past — revisits elements of previous projects. However, without the bloated tracklist of Starboy, and any attempt to please an audience outside of his core, the lack of innovation doesn’t seem take away from the concise, focused, conceptual nature of this well-produced R&B gem (thanks to Frank Dukes, Mike Will Made It and several other notables).
  6. Rolling Stone
    Apr 2, 2018
    70
    My Dear Melancholy, surprisingly provides the clearest, most engaging example yet of the Weeknd's angst. It's the sound of a man kneeling at love's altar still in search of an elusive healing.
  7. The 405
    Apr 10, 2018
    65
    Overall, the EP is decent, its production hearkening back to Abel’s pre-pop efforts. It brings in a range of genres and collaborators into The Weeknd’s canon but fails to truly cover new ground in the lyrics and vocal threads. My Dear Melancholy is a promising output but here’s hoping these stylistic ideas can be explored more originally on a full-length EP.
  8. Pitchfork
    Apr 3, 2018
    65
    While My Dear Melancholy, makes for a slight curio in the Weeknd’s discography, it also feels like an unnecessary step backwards following the down-for-whatever approach of his recent work. There’s nothing wrong with reflecting on the past, but sometimes it’s better to just leave it there.

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User Score
8.2

Universal acclaim- based on 310 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 260 out of 310
  2. Mixed: 37 out of 310
  3. Negative: 13 out of 310
  1. lilgnzlo
    Mar 30, 2018
    10
    Very personal EP by The Weeknd.

    I like it,reminds me the sound of Echoes Of Silence but with vibes of Starboy. If you are a fan of The    Very personal EP by The Weeknd.

    I like it,reminds me the sound of Echoes Of Silence but with vibes of Starboy.

    If you are a fan of The Weeknd previous work's you will like this.
    If you are looking for I Feel It Coming or Can't Feel My Face vibes, this is not the right place.    … Full Review »
  2. filipehondrey12
    Mar 31, 2018
    9
    This album is full of sex and slow motion vibes, that makes everyone listen to it feeling high. I really like that!
  3. noahbrackenbury
    Mar 30, 2018
    8
    The Weeknd released a 6-track album My Dear Melancholy, by surprise on Friday, March 30th, after only announcing it during the day onThe Weeknd released a 6-track album My Dear Melancholy, by surprise on Friday, March 30th, after only announcing it during the day on Thursday, and it follows a completely different trajectory than that which the confident, rich pop star The Weeknd has been known for on recent projects. The lyrical content as well as production are surprisingly radio-unfriendly, especially in contrast to his last two Grammy-winning and chart-topping albums, 2016's Starboy and 2015's Beauty Behing the Madness. As much as this album is a romantically dejected yell into the void, it is also noticeably grounded by indirect yet specific references to past lovers whom have recently shared in his spotlight. However, as is Abel Tesfaye's signature philosophy that brought him both cult success and defied pop-culture logic by giving him huge radio success (specifically with the dark and terrifying 2015 single "The Hills"), Abel is destined to use sex and substances as coping mechanisms for his ultimate alienation and inability to love. He is a touchstone for these feelings, utterly synonymous with them in popular culture, and although many believed he had somewhat grown out of this philosophy, he returns to it with fresh eyes and a freshly avant-garde, emotional, and dramatic sound. This album has no features, except credit for French DJ Gesaffelstein's production on tracks 4 and 5, "I Was Never There" and "Hurt You", and satisfies while leaving the listener wondering what's next for The Weeknd.

    Track 1, "Call Out My Name" is a confrontational ballad that sounds a lot like his Fifty Shades of Grey song "Earned It", but turned fifty shades darker (although he wasn't involved in any of the sequels' soundtracks). The production and vocals on this track build up and expertly explode at the beginning of each chorus. "Try Me" has light notes of trap from co-producer Mike WiLL Made-It, and "Wasted Times" features the most irregular beat of the bunch, employing indie-techno syncopation. "I Was Never There" has some of the darkest self-directed lines on this album, and sees a return to the two-part form that defined the title track of his 2013 album Kiss Land. "So I poison myself again and again until I feel nothing/ I'm on the edge of something breaking", Abel dejectedly croons under heavy reverb. An alarm-like high-pitched synth revives the horror-movie vibes invoked by shrill screams on past Abel tracks like "The Hills" and the 2013 track "Kiss Land", again. "Hurt You" feels firmly in the middle of the Venn diagram between the sound of this album and his late 2016 LP Starboy, which sensibly reflects that Guy-Manuel of Daft Punk (who was instrumental in the success of singles off Starboy) contributed to this track, mostly heard on the electro beat. Abel closes with the call "I'll be back to my old ways" on "Privilege", which truly features the strongest callback to his 2011 mixtape Echoes of Silence yet, both lyrically and musically with a slow, dark, and windy crawl to a pointless finish line.

    All of these songs flow well into each other, but on early listens are difficult to distinguish and sound muddy at times. Most of the tracks feature a stripped-down beat with distorted kick-snare-kick-snare and clean hi-hat dispersed throughout, and every track is extremely heavy on the synth bass lines, which complement Abel's falsetto, but the heavy compression on this project can make the consistent bass overwhelming. Lyrically, this album has some thoughtful lines and subtle references to specific past lovers, but is still carried by The Weeknd's signature, lost-sounding but powerful, Ethiopian-influenced, non-lyrical crooning. Overall, this project succeeded in some ways that Starboy didn't: it captured the attention of his oldest fans begging for a darker sound, and while it hits similar notes again and again, the 6-track length makes this project a perfect vignette of melancholy, as opposed to the similarly monotone, packed, and difficult-to-digest 18 tracks of Starboy. This project is absolutely intriguing, features the genuine and raw emotion that its title set out to capture, and its detail and depth grow with each listen, but it is unlikely to get as much radio play as previous hits from now-superstar The Weeknd.    … Full Review »
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