To start the new year off right, many highly anticipated albums have been released. After a very bright and exciting 2021 full of great musical releases and not much else, even more projects are expected to release in the new year. The main attractions this week include new albums from R&B veteran “The Weeknd” as well as melodic trap artist “Gunna”.

To start with The Weeknd, there’s a lot to say. 2020’s “After Hours” explored a new sonic direction for The Weeknd, with an album full of 80’s and synth pop influence, unlike any release before it. And the new album “Dawn FM” shows a new sonic direction as well. This time fully hammering down on the 80s sound, with a disco flair. Each track on the album presents a series of (possibly connected) love vignettes, backed with classy production. Not to mention, several tracks on the album feature Jim Carrey acting as a radio DJ, connecting to the “Dawn FM” radio theme. As a side note, it’s reassuring to see so many pop acts carve out their own lane and tastefully revitalize some of pop music’s most nostalgic trends. The Weekend is no odd man out when it comes to a creative sea of Rodrigos and Dua Lipas.

Now for Gunna’s album. Snooze. Sleep. Yawn. Any of these words can aptly describe the dragged-out trainwreck that is “DS4ever”. Now there isn’t really anything inherently wrong with the current wave of melodic trap music that dominates the mainstream, it’s more so that this project is an embodiment and amplification of all its weaknesses and more. Not only are the vocals sleepy, off pitch, and poorly auto tuned, but there are few standout hooks or choruses to be had on the entire project. Gunna isn’t really known for his energy on a beat, and doesn’t seem eager to change that reputation. Not to mention the lazy production. The beats on this album sound like a bunch of poor experimentations that didn’t make the cutting room floor on another major-label artist’s record. The whole project is boring and bloated with few highlights, mundane vocal performances, and a host of other flaws. 

When it comes to music this year, I expect more than what caught my eyes this week. The Weekend release was certainly interesting and had some great songs, but the Gunna project was even more disappointing than I predicted. I hope to see an exciting year of music, one that possibly surpasses the hype of last year.