The Weeknd has some issues to work out on his jarring double release, "Kiss Land/John Carpenter."
We've been falling for the slow jams of Canadian crooner Abel Tesfaye, aka The Weeknd, as much as anyone over the past year; you'd have to have no heart, or ears, or, uh, pants-parts not to. But on this new one-two punch from his upcoming LP, Kiss Land, the already hyper-sexualized R&B crooner digs even deeper, if you know what we mean, into the lover-man-on-the-road down-and-dirty details, and it's giving us a funny feeling. But that's probably the point.
Listen to The Weekn's "Kiss Land/John Carpenter" after the jump.
Tesfaye spares no detail in his new two-part track, beginning with some frightening horror sound effects and screams over a minor chord, skittering track that ratchets up the spooky vibes as the heightened tension builds. (Not that we're exactly talking foreplay here.) The first part of the song dives right into the deep end, again, if you know what we mean. "For what it's worth, I hope you enjoyed the show, cause if you back here only taking picture you're gonna have to take your ass home. Because the only thing you're taking is your clothes off," he sings.
That's hot?
"Go ahead girl strip it down, close your mouth, I just want to hear your body talk."
Um, OK, I gotta catch my ride home, but thanks for the offer.
The story goes on from there with a series of encounters around the country, which is probably a pretty accurate representation of what it's like to be an ascendant R&B singer known for sultry, come-on slow jams.
Halfway through, Abel switches gears to "John Carpenter," an introspective jam about substance abuse, and yes, more groupie lovin'. Only this time there's a mix of self-loathing with the braggadocio: "I don't have any friends," he slips in. "This ain't nothing to relate to," he repeats over and over. It's an admission of the weirdness that arises from this type of life on the road romance game. "Even if you try. You tried, you tried."
