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

Review this album

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. aleppo
    Apr 11, 2018
    6
    By no means is this a bad record. However, it isn't necessarily a good one, either. For me this is very much a middling effort from The Weeknd, who seeks to return to a sound and mood reminiscent of his mixtapes on My Dear Melancholy,. But in aiming to replicate a past formula, Tesfaye fails to break any new ground with this EP, which leads me to question where he is headed artistically.By no means is this a bad record. However, it isn't necessarily a good one, either. For me this is very much a middling effort from The Weeknd, who seeks to return to a sound and mood reminiscent of his mixtapes on My Dear Melancholy,. But in aiming to replicate a past formula, Tesfaye fails to break any new ground with this EP, which leads me to question where he is headed artistically. The lyrics and themes offer nothing new, and while the production is characterized by thumping beats and an overall dark allure, it predominantly pulls from contemporary sonic tropes that undermine any attempts at musical innovation. I hate to place an artist in the shadow of his previous work, but to me it seems that Abel will never release an output as thrilling as House of Balloons.

    Highlights include 'Wasted Times' and 'I Was Never There'.    … Expand
  2. domkopavlik
    Apr 3, 2018
    5
    This EP is mediocre. While it starts with a great, well-produced song "Call out my name", other songs get worse and worse. "Try me" and the two songs featuring Gesaffelstein are not special or interesting anyhow. It has no experimental passages, nothing that would push the boundaries of his previous work. However, the first and the last song are listenable and catchy, so i decided to giveThis EP is mediocre. While it starts with a great, well-produced song "Call out my name", other songs get worse and worse. "Try me" and the two songs featuring Gesaffelstein are not special or interesting anyhow. It has no experimental passages, nothing that would push the boundaries of his previous work. However, the first and the last song are listenable and catchy, so i decided to give it a 5/10.… Expand
  3. chidime
    Mar 31, 2018
    5
    Can't say I particularly enjoyed this EP. It just ends up sounding like a long, drawn out bore, but I'll give The Weeknd points for cohesiveness and musicality. While, lyrically, this is maybe closer to his earlier work, I don't at all agree that in sum, it sounds just ike his earlier work. The instrumentals on this are vastly different from Trilogy (especially House of Balloons and EchoesCan't say I particularly enjoyed this EP. It just ends up sounding like a long, drawn out bore, but I'll give The Weeknd points for cohesiveness and musicality. While, lyrically, this is maybe closer to his earlier work, I don't at all agree that in sum, it sounds just ike his earlier work. The instrumentals on this are vastly different from Trilogy (especially House of Balloons and Echoes of Silence which we can admit are the best 2). While in Trilogy the instrumentals were more experimental with heavy doses of strange but catchy and interesting sounds popping up here and there, and with a general sense of darkness and despair at the edges, in MDM, the instrumentals are more straightforward/bare/bland and lack that general mysteriousness on his earlier work. If this is The Weeknd going back to his roots, I think I'd vastly prefer he keep making Starboy-like songs (which I must say, for the most part are excellent)… Expand
  4. fifi3
    Jul 28, 2019
    4
    This EP was too forgettable to explain why I thought it was so forgettable. I'll just settle at a 4, because Abel is a great vocalist.
  5. Shaymooose
    Aug 17, 2019
    4
    generic abel ****

    Best Tracks:Call Out My Name,Hurt You
    Worst Tracks:Try Me,Wasted Times,
  6. BeanBags
    Dec 27, 2022
    5
    While this isn't a terrible EP, many of the tracks on MDM are buried underneath the melancholic theme of the album. This leaves a lot of the tracks sounding uninspired and dull.

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
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
  1. AllMusic
    Dec 11, 2018
    50
    Apart from the sly and sweet 2-step rhythm on "Wasted Times," the sound of the EP is bleary R&B with beats that drag and lurch, suited for Tesfaye's routine swings between self-pity and sexual vanity, chemically enhanced from one extreme to the other.
    Read full review
  2. 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.
    Read full review
  3. The A.V. Club
    Apr 6, 2018
    50
    On Melancholy, the Starboy wallows in heartbreak. It can be a bit tedious, at least until French producer/DJ Gesaffelstein shows up for “Never There” and “Hurt You,” which plays like a two-part song.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »