The Weeknd’s new mixtape ‘Thursday’ finally drops

When we got out of bed this morning, the first thing we saw was a text from a friend: ‘OMFG NEW WEEKND MIXTAPE’. This had the effect of an espresso poured directly on the heart, and when we saw that the last track was a Cocteau Twins reference, nothing could have made today any better. The Toronto-based singer hardly needs an introduction; his ‘House of Balloons’ mixtape was a standard-setter for the new wave of avant-garde R&B pop enthusiasts. ‘Thursday’, the long-awaited followup, is nine tracks of his lurking 707-loaded beats and sorrowfully cocky crooning. Guaranteed to become the sexual soundtrack to your own weekend. A third mixtape called ‘Echoes of Silence’ will drop this fall. Now stop reading this and go download it already.

Published August 19, 2011.