High For This: Starts off very eerily, which I’m used to from The Weeknd. His vocals, as always are top-notch. That said, I’m not too crazy about this one because it’s a bit too spacey and kind of boring for me. Not that it’s bad to me, I just don’t think I love it as much as some others might.
What You Need: I really like the instrumental on this one, but again, I’m sorry, this song isn’t fully clicking with me either. It’s well-made and really interestingly eerie, but I think I’m so spoiled by his new stuff that, so far, I’m just not really vibing to his old stuff.
House of Balloons / Glass Table Girls: Really really like the way this one starts off, and I’m really intrigued by the extremely creepy lyrics. I also really like the way that House of Balloons segues into Glass Table Girls. This one will probably end up growing on me, it’s not one of my favorite songs from him, but it’s a pretty good one for sure.
The Morning: This one is seen as one of the favorites of many Weeknd fans. I can’t call it my favorite, but I do like it: I like the way it sounds, and Abel’s vocals are sharp as always. I feel like this will also grow on me in the future.
Wicked Games: This is a wildly popular one, especially considering it was the first single released to radio. Another one I think will need to grow on me: Abel’s vocals, obviously, incredible, and the song as a whole sounds good, but again, I’m not fully clicking with this just yet.
The Party & The After Party: Alright, now this one clicked with me! Love the way it sounds, it’s really catchy, Abel’s flow and vocal sound are amazing, and Beach House’s hook is really weird and interesting. Both parts of this song are strong.
Coming Down: I really like the way that the end of the previous song leads into this one, and I really like this song in general. I really like Abel’s flow, and where a lot of the songs that didn’t click with me had too much “empty space” (if you will), this one doesn’t feel like a bore at all. It’s a really exciting, good listen overall.
Loft Music: Abel shows us on this one that he’s got some bars. His vocals and raps are amazing, and the song does have an interesting sound to it, but I do have to ask why the hell this thing is six minutes long? It’s one verse, some humming, and an outro. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good song overall, but it could’ve been way shorter.
The Knowing: The instrumental on this one is amazing, and The Weeknd’s vocals are incredible, but again, one of my biggest problems with early Weeknd stuff: it feels a bit too empty and generally unexciting. Beyond that, the hook on this one is really boring and repetitive.
Twenty Eight (2012 “Trilogy bonus track”): While this wasn’t on the original mixtape, it was included with the “Trilogy” re-release, so I listened to it with the rest of the mixtape. I’m glad I did because it’s probably my favorite track on this mixtape. I mention that I like The Weeknd’s new stuff a lot better, and this song feels the most like his newer songs to me: beyond that, though, it’s catchy, it sounds amazing, the vocals are fantastic, and it’s an all-around amazing song.
Overall, I’m not sure that sitting down and really considering The Weeknd’s old stuff really helped it to click fully with me. While there’s a lot of interesting sounds on this mixtape, and Abel’s vocals are nothing short of amazing, a lot of these early songs are a bit too slow, far too long, and a bit too loaded with empty space for my liking. Some people might vibe to it a bit more than I did, and that’s totally fine, but this didn’t entirely click with me. Half of the mixtape was rock-solid (and the bonus track “Twenty Eight” was excellent), but the other half was just “alright.” I had a really hard time deciding what to rate this because there weren’t really any “bad” songs (even the “lesser” tracks were at least “okay”), but there were very few “great songs” in my eyes, and the best song on the tape wasn’t even part of the original release, so does that really add to the score? I’m sorry, Abel. I love your music, but the old stuff, I just can’t listen to on repeat as I do with the new stuff.
Favorite tracks: House of Balloons / Glass Table Girls, The Party & The After Party, Coming Down, Twenty Eight
Least favorite track: The Knowing, if I had to pick one
Rating: Okay
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