The Weeknd

'Beauty Behind the Madness' (album stream)

BY Alex HudsonPublished Aug 28, 2015

Last week, noir&B star the Weeknd shared and 18-minute mix offering a sample of every track on his new album, Beauty Behind the Madness. Now that the album is officially out via XO/Republic, who whole thing is available to stream.

This album represents a stylistic shift for the Toronto singer also known as Abel Tesfaye. While his early music was mysterious and darkly disturbing, this album moves in the direction of slick, big-budget, radio-friendly pop. That being said, there are still lyrics that glorify drugs, sex and hedonism; on "The Hills," Tesfaye declares, "When I'm fucked up, that's the real me," and stand-out single "I Can't Feel Feel My Face" extols the virtues of being "numb." Guests include Lana Del Rey, Ed Sheeran and Labrinth.

Stream the album in the Spotify player below. Check out the schedule for "The Madness Fall Tour" here.

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