The Weeknd's Gift and Curse

The word I’ve seen used prevalently when describing The Weeknd is hedonist, and when listening to his stellar debut mixtape, House of Balloons, it’s hard to deny the accuracy of that assessment. The Weeknd has been a rather mysterious figure since this tape hit the internet in March, doing no interviews and only taking to Twitter to hype his next project, Thursday set to hit sometime this summer. We don’t know much about him other than he’s from Toronto and friends with Drake, but I can’t help but assume there’s a massive void in this guy’s life. Disturbingly, on House of Balloons he fills that void with every substance imaginable. This tape is rife with pills, cocaine, and girls he seems to have no substantive feelings for. He doesn’t have much shame in it all either. I legitimately worry for him when I hear him reveling in his addictions and chasing every high imaginable. Guess I should have seen it coming when two minutes into this tape he’s telling us we, “wanna be high for this.” What’s most troubling is this dude is only 20 years old. Listening to this I thank god I wasn’t the deranged, coked out, hedonist The Weeknd is, when I was his age.

While I’ve never touched most of the drugs he mentions on this tape, I also can’t make music like he can. I’m still undecided whether or not I’d live his lifestyle in exchange for his song-making ability, but one thing I’m sure of is those things come hand in hand on House of Balloons. For his sake, you’d hope he could separate the two before the drugs derail his career, but for now the world he’s created is terrifying and alluring at once.

All of this is summed up perfectly when The Weeknd sings the hook to the title track.

This is a happy house
We're happy here
In a happy house
Oh this is fun

This is far from an assured declaration, instead it’s a hopeless plea. His voice sounds strained and paranoid, desperately trying to convince listeners (and himself) that he is content with this lifestyle. It’s no wonder before this particular track ends it garbles into the murderous Glass Table Girls, in which he gives his first true admission of rampant drug use, “I heard he do drugs now, you heard wrong I been on ‘em for a minute.” After his failed plea comes the indulgence, a troubling sign.

There’s also the issue of his relationship with woman. Unlike his pal Drake’s music there aren’t many tales of lost love on here. On The After Party he’s begging a girl for a chance to prove the “feeling I could give to you.” Everything is concerned with feelings and pleasure here. Whereas Drake will literally name his past woman and make you feel for his heartbreak, I don’t think The Weeknd has ever known a girl past the next morning. Closing track The Knowing seems to hint at a prolonged relationship, but when his counterpart cheats he’s apathetic to it all, pleased even, as it gives him the chance to sleep around some more. He doesn’t seem to have any investment in actual connections. His euphoria is rooted in the temporary.

It’s no wonder this tape is titled House of Balloons. Balloons are clear indication of celebration and parties, no lack of those here, yet they’re empty, filled with nothing but air before they inevitably pop. They cannot be sustained. Neither can The Weeknd if he continues to live like this, but what makes this all so tragic is his music can.

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House of Balloons - Sickest Thing Ever