The Weeknd Drops New Single, ‘Heartless’ (Listen)
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Following the new normal of teasing a new single with a cryptic social-media message, The Weeknd tonight dropped his a new single called “Heartless.”
“The fall starts tomorrow night,” he wrote in an Instagram message Monday, alongside a blurry photo of himself wearing a pair thick-rimmed glasses. “Tomorrow night we start again.”
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A new photo accompanied tonight’s song release, revealing a very early ‘80s makeover for the Canadian artist, with a red suit jacket and a Larry Graham-style mustache accompanying the glasses.
The song itself is characteristically Weeknd, although more upbeat and single-ish than last year’s low-key “My Dear Melancholy” EP. It also has a slightly more hip-hop vibe, with the occasional Migos-style vocal interjection, siren sound and beat breakdown.
The tease comes just a few the artist said on Twitter that he’s in “album mode full effect.” The Weeknd is overdue: Despite multiple guest appearances, last year’s EP and a one-off single from the “Game of Thrones” soundtrack called “Power Is Power,” his latest major release was 2016’s full-length “Starboy.”
The Weeknd recently played himself in the Adam Sandler-starring film “Uncut Gems.” He’s a friend of ours, and he’s a real cinephile,” said Josh Safdie, speaking with Variety after the film’s premiere in Telluride. “Real cinephile. Like, one of his favorite filmmakers is (David) Cronenberg, and that makes sense, because he’s from Toronto. But he watches a lot of movies.”
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