Canada's The Weeknd dropped a new six-track EP My Dear Melancholy on Friday.
"I Was Never There" and "Hurt You" feature French DJ and Kanye West collaborator Gesaffelstein – and the latter track was co-written and co-produced by Canada's Henry Walter (aka Cirkut). "Try Me" was co-written by The Weeknd's frequent collaborator, Ottawa rapper Belly.
Executive-produced by Frank Dukes, the EP boasts production by Daft Punk's Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo as well as Skrillex, Mike WiLL Made-It and others.
My Dear Melancholy is the first ever EP from The Weeknd and the first collection of new music since his 2016 album Starboy. The 28-year-old Toronto native, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, released his debut album in 2013.
Before its release, an insider told Billboard that My Dear Melancholy "is Abel taking it back to his roots." Indeed, fans are saying it has the same style and down-tempo/darker sounds as his 2012 compilation of original mixtapes, Trilogy.
Abel got everybody in they feelings.. me included
— BELLY (@reBELLYus) March 30, 2018
The Weeknd also seems to reference his relationship last year with Selena Gomez in “Call Out My Name,” with lyrics like: "We found each other / I helped you out of a broken place / You gave me comfort / But falling for you was my mistake."
Later in the song, The Weeknd also possibly refers to Gomez’s need for a kidney transplant in 2017: "I said I didn't feel nothing baby, but I lied / I almost cut a piece of myself for your life / Guess I was just another pit stop / Til' you made up your mind / You just wasted my time.”
Listen to all six tracks below: