Coming off supernova hit "Blinding Lights," a fan like myself couldn't help but wonder where The Weeknd would go next. With every record, the Canadian singer-songwriter grew as an ever-chugging train, steamrolling the pop music landscape and securing his spot at the top of the cultural zenith. On "Take My Breath," the lead single from his forthcoming record, Abel Tesfaye proves that he has more than enough steam left.
The song highlights Tesfaye's sonic progression from origins of brooding, minimalistic R&B, into the coke-fueled, Giorgio Moroder, dance-floor bombast he's dipped his foot in on past records Starboy and After Hours. Accompanied by a music video simulating the sweaty, strobe-fueled dance clubs his music tends to dominate, "Take My Breath" is Tesfaye's first production that transcends influence ("cosplay," as Tesfaye calls it in a recent GQ interview) and transforms his music into a fully owned and personal aesthetic.
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