Thursday (album)

Thursday
Mixtape by The Weeknd
Released August 18, 2011 (2011-08-18)
Genre Alternative R&B
Length 50:21
Label XO
Producer
The Weeknd chronology
House of Balloons
(2011)		 Thursday
(2011)		 Echoes of Silence
(2011)
Singles from Thursday
  1. "The Zone"
    Released: November 16, 2012

Thursday is the second mixtape by Canadian singer The Weeknd, independently released on August 19, 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).

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.5/10[1]
Metacritic80/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
The A.V. ClubB[4]
Consequence of SoundB[5]
Now4/5[6]
Pitchfork7.9/10[7]
Q[8]
Rolling Stone[9]
Slant Magazine[10]
Sputnikmusic4.5/5[11]
Tiny Mix Tapes3/5[12]

Thursday received generally positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 80, based on 17 reviews.[2] Evan Rytlewski of The A.V. Club said, "It's a rare songwriter who can craft music that's so repellent yet also so irresistible."[4] Alex Young of Consequence of Sound said, "Despite the ridiculously high highs of this album, it fails to maintain a great pace throughout. It struggles back and forth between "good" and "great," whereas its foregoer grabbed "great" by the balls on the first track and never let go."[5] Benjamin Boles of Now said, "It's not quite perfect: his voice is the star of the show but is occasionally buried under the clever beats and production. But that's a small complaint about someone who's looking more and more like one of the most exciting artists to emerge this year."[6] Q magazine stated, "Toronto outfit, The Weekend, have been hailed as one of the most exciting new sounds in modern R&B -- hype that, on the basis of this equally startling follow-up, seems entirely justified."[8] Brandon Soderberg of Pitchfork said, "Though there's less breathing space on Thursday, and fewer melodic hooks, it still feels of a piece with House of Balloons."[7]

BBC Music's Mike Diver made a positive review, saying, "File him beside Frank Ocean as an R&B star set to climb to new heights in 2012."[13] Matthew Cole of Slant Magazine wrote, "The Weeknd is in full command of his craft, and at this point it's almost impossible for me to imagine that he won't deliver on the finale. He's earned my trust, as would any other artist who had already released two of the year's best albums."[10] Tyler Fisher of Sputnikmusic said, "Listening to something like Thursday is the ultimate form of escapism that so many of us flock to music for. That's a quality that should be celebrated, not criticized for its lack of immediate pleasure."[11] Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone gave a mixed review, commenting, "While it's refreshing to hear an R&B singer emphasizing the psychic toll of libertinism, his angst sex grows tiresome. Once in a while, can't this dude just get laid, and have fun doing it?"[9] Ross Green of Tiny Mix Tapes said, "But by continuing to relentlessly mine the same fundamentally limited descriptions of groupies and Schedule VI narcotics, The Weeknd risks coming off as bored as its debauched narrator."[12]

Track listing

No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "Lonely Star"  
 5:49
2. "Life of the Party"  
  • Tesfaye
  • McKinney
  • Montagnese
  • B. Grier
  • B. Pontus
  • V. Reilly
 4:57
3. "Thursday"  
  • Tesfaye
  • McKinney
  • Montagnese
 5:19
4. "The Zone" (featuring Drake)
 6:58
5. "The Birds Part 1"  
  • Tesfaye
  • McKinney
  • Montagnese
 3:34
6. "The Birds Part 2"  
  • Tesfaye
  • McKinney
  • Montagnese
  • M. Topley-Bird
  • A. McGowen
  • N. Bird
  • S. Crittal
 5:50
7. "Gone"  
  • Tesfaye
  • McKinney
  • Montagnese
  • B. Stachel
 8:07
8. "Rolling Stone"  
  • Tesfaye
  • McKinney
  • Montagnese
 3:50
9. "Heaven or Las Vegas"  
  • Tesfaye
  • McKinney
  • Montagnese
 5:53

References

  1. ↑ "Thursday by The Weeknd reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved November 29, 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Reviews for Thursday by The Weeknd". Metacritic. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Thursday – The Weeknd". AllMusic. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  4. 1 2 Rytlewski, Evan (September 6, 2011). "The Weeknd: Thursday". The A.V. Club. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  5. 1 2 Young, Alex (August 22, 2011). "The Weeknd – Thursday". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  6. 1 2 Boles, Benjamin (August 25, 2011). "The Weeknd – Thursday". Now. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  7. 1 2 Soderberg, Brandon (August 25, 2011). "The Weeknd: Thursday". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
  8. 1 2 "The Weeknd: Thursday". Q (304): 138. November 2011.
  9. 1 2 Rosen, Jody (August 30, 2011). "Thursday". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
  10. 1 2 Cole, Matthew (August 31, 2011). "The Weeknd: Thursday". Slant Magazine. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
  11. 1 2 Fisher, Tyler (August 25, 2011). "The Weeknd – Thursday". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
  12. 1 2 Green, Ross. "The Weeknd – Thursday". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved November 29, 2016.
  13. ↑ Diver, Mike. "Review of The Weeknd – Thursday". BBC Music. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
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