Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (known as The Weeknd) returns to deliver his third album. Prior to the release he knew that the legends of electronic dance and Daft Punk he would be featuring had minds spinning. Luckily The Weeknd didn’t disappoint and left us shook up and unable to get enough. Cue binge listening. This is The Weeknd that I have been anticipating and it’s more interesting that with each record his music keeps evolving. An album packed with drippy gooey disco-ish vibes and mysterious vocals made way to the ears of many and right straight into our reviews (obviously).

This time around Abel (The Weeknd) is starting crisp, shredding his XO look and capturing a new “Starboy” identity. Don’t believe it? Take a look at his new album cover. It appears it was time to say ‘so long’ to his big hair, (very, very, very, sad day) but hello to this raw new look that aligns perfectly with the revamped music we hear on the album. Don’t start to worry, I’m sure he will always have his XO charm.

With some of his greatest collaborations already on his list, (Kendrick Lamar, Future, Lana Del Rey, and Daft Punk) Weeknd has continued to keep everyone waiting on standby for more. From Daft Punk laying down a rad upbeat soundscape that glides through the tracks, to Kendrick Lamar and Future dropping verses bringing Abel back to his roots and Lana Del Rey returning to music with a sparkle in the ‘Stargirl Interlude’ this album is far from basic and in fact has too many dynamic tracks for us to be able to explain it all.

We got our hands on one of these and hence this shout out to Starboy, but we want you to use your local Bookmans to get a feel for The Weeknd’s work through this genre and his albums that we are always hoping we haven stock for you. Of course we can’t guarantee anything, but giving us a call before you come in always saves that perfect album a spot on your shelf. For The Weeknd’s other albums and those of this similar genre we hope you’ll find an escape within our orange shelves.

Long live XO, welcome Starboy.