Thursday is the second mixtape by Canadian singer The Weeknd, independently released on August 18, 2011. It follows his critically acclaimed, Polaris Music Prize-nominated debut mixtape House of Balloons (2011). Its music incorporates downtempo, dubstep, dream pop, hip hop, rock and reggae styles. As with his previous works, Canadian record producers Doc McKinney and Illangelo were responsible for production of the mixtape. Young Money artist Drake contributes guest vocals to the track "The Zone". Thursday received generally positive reviews from critics, who drew comparisons to House of Balloons. "Rolling Stone" and "The Birds Part 1" were released as buzz singles to precede the mixtape's release. Thursday was later remastered and packaged with The Weeknd's compilation album Trilogy (2012).
It sounds a bit ridiculous to say that The Weeknd avoid the sophomore slump with Thursday, given that the Toronto crew's first release arrived just five months ago. But not many artists, especially in the Internet era, show up with such a well-developed aesthetic (a very foggy, of-the-moment variation on mainstream radio's slow jams) and something as self-assured as the House of Balloons mixtape. And those that do probably don't have a Drake co-sign and such a carefully managed cloak of anonymity. Months later, all we really know about the Weeknd is that there's a singer named Abel Tesfaye with an earthy The-Dream-like voice and a lecherous persona that's both repellent and compelling. We've seen a few smoky, black and white photos disseminated via Tumblr that perfectly fit the music's bad vibes; there have been a couple of live dates; and apparently, the project has two associated producers helping to craft a sprawling, drugged-up R&B sound: Doc McKinney, best known for Esthero's Breath From Another and another guy named Illangelo. Beyond that and a handful of "unofficial" but suspiciously high-budget videos, we have the music on these two mixtapes.
Though there's less breathing space on Thursday, and fewer melodic hooks, it still feels of a piece with House of Balloons. There's the same ineffably skeezy vibe and a genuine sense of the album-as-journey, brought upon by smart sequencing and Tesfaye's willingness to complicate his devilish, drug-addled Lothario persona. The production is slightly harsher and streaked with violence, befitting the lyrical content--