The Weeknd - Initiation

Toronto native Abel Tesfaye is the face of some of the year's most exciting new music. He has a broad vocal range and a knack for writing curlicue melody lines that stick in your head like any great pop hook. His lyrics paint a vivid portrait of the lost souls of our generation; the kids who have attention deficit and probation officers. His voice floats through tracks by Illangelo and "Doc" McKinney, providing a backdrop that resembles what might happen if Massive Attack produced songs for Lil Wayne. The Weeknd has gained considerable acclaim considering the first "mixtape" was just released in March. Maybe it has something to do with landing a spot on Lady Gaga's upcoming Born This Way remix album or Drake promoting The Weeknd's warped blend of R&B (Tesfaye co-wrote 4 songs on Drake's new album, Take Care). Or maybe it has something to do with the fact that The Weeknd has released both of their albums for free: House of Balloons and Thursday, available for download at The Weeknd's website.

If you've already heard their other songs and can't wait for more, don't worry. The Weeknd claim to have a third album, Echoes of Silence, ready for release before the end of the year. They've already released an advance track. It's called "Initiation" and it features the most demented use of Auto-Tune since Cher's "Believe". Check it out at the band's SoundCloud page or just download it directly from their Tumblr page.

The first line on "High for This", the first track from House of Balloons, says, "you don't know what's in store/but you know what you're here for." Abel might be singing to a potential lover, but he may as well be singing to all of his potential fans. Whether or not you like their music depends on what you're there for.