The Weeknd - Dawn FM (Alternate Cover) [2LP]

Dawn FM comes here as a limited collector's edition single LP with alternate cover art, imported from Holland and pressed on black vinyl, a different face for The Weeknd's 2022 late-night radio fantasy.

After the global smash of After Hours, Abel Tesfaye could have played it safe. Instead he made a concept record framed as a radio station playing in purgatory, with Jim Carrey as the soothing host guiding listeners toward the light. Executive produced with Oneohtrix Point Never and Max Martin, it is a glossy, synth-drenched love letter to 1980s pop that also wrestles with regret, mortality and moving on.

Take My Breath is a pulsing, disco-flecked rush, one of his most exhilarating dance tracks, while Sacrifice struts on a funky, disco-driven groove that would sound right at home in a 1980s club. Out of Time slows things down with a silky, nostalgic ballad built on a Japanese city pop sample, and Less Than Zero closes with a bittersweet shimmer. Guest turns from Tyler, The Creator and Lil Wayne add extra colour along the way.

For collectors, this alternate cover edition is a striking variant of one of the decade's most inventive pop albums. For everyone else, it is simply a great record to get lost in after dark.