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CRITIC REVIEWS

91
Pretty Much Amazing

Kiss Land is the crystallization of a concept that has been gestating for over two years, an idea that swelled in scope and sound as the world embraced Tsefaye and his dysphoric, benumbed universe.

83
Entertainment Weekly
”This ain’t nothing to relate to,” Tesfaye insists on the dense, two-part title track. No, it’s alienation that verges on transcendence.
80
Billboard
He digs deeper and finds a stark, cutting frankness about fame and its trappings; he sets those lyrics to soundscapes that evoke this world of loveless sexual exploits, rough comedowns, and existential dissatisfaction.
80
The Observer
The result is a seductive layering of glittering, MOR surfaces, ambient textures and a deep, aching undertow.
80
The Line of Best Fit

Kiss Land succeeds on not only being an album in the assumed sense of the word, with big singles, tasty hooks and singalong phrases, but as a concept record too, one that takes you hostage.

80
NOW Magazine

Kiss Land is proof for the unconvinced: the Weeknd is a star whether he wants to be or not.

80
NME
Abel Tesfaye's take on fame is sleazy and self-absorbed, but also powerful and sonically ambitious.
80
Clash
Tesfaye hasn’t turned to gimmicks for ‘Kiss Land’. Instead, he’s managed to transcend his previous efforts via the scaling up the sonics and simply maintaining the quality of this excellent record.
80
FACT Magazine
Abel Tesfaye’s major label debut proper is a sprawling cornucopia of tricks – a blitzkrieg fantasia as devised by a musician more interested in sounds than music, and a crop of tunes launched from the restless mind of a burgeoning auteur hooked on the thrill of discovery.
70
Consequence of Sound

Kiss Land falls short in the innovation category, as it never quite feels like Tesfaye’s work here will generate new waves of creativity in his field 

70
Under the Radar

Kiss Land covers musical and lyrical territory similar to 2012's Trilogy, but Abel Tesfaye's falsetto recollections of joylessly shallow sexual escapades still sound relatively fresh and novel.

70
SPIN

Maybe this is just an honest reflection of where the young twentysomething finds himself, creatively and personally. Kiss Land plays like a more considered, better-mastered continuation of Echoes of Silence, not anything dramatically different.

70
Northern Transmissions
It’s exhausting at times, but the soul/R&B heads who prefer ominous beats, will serve as the perfect companion to the coming winter months.
65
The 405

Kiss Land is filled with promise, it's inspired and a great example of how R&B can cross many genre boundaries. It's confident, but pretty underwhelming with ideas that aren't quite fully articulated or tactile, leaving the listener in the dark - but not the dark he wants.

62
Pitchfork

Kiss Land scans as unintentionally hilarious, a sign that the project is rushing headlong into self-parody and Abel Tesfaye seems to be the only one who doesn’t realize it.

60
Exclaim!

It's in these moments — when he's paying attention to melody and songwriting — that Kiss Land demonstrates plenty of promise and tentative steps in the right direction.

60
The Irish Times
It’s the starkness and menace of the overall mood that really strikes a note.
60
HipHopDX

This album is a polished, lateral step with an accompanying barcode for Weeknd’s fans. And outsiders looking to understand his appeal are likely better off downloading the three mixtapes that preceded the album.

60
No Ripcord
While this leap into the big leagues proves that he’s still very much a rare talent, it unfortunately seems that genuine inspiration is even rarer.
50
AllMusic

For those who aren't as easily drawn into Tesfaye's world, this will seem roughly as insufferable and as bleakly aimless as the earlier material.

50
PopMatters

The good news for Abel Tesfaye might be that audiences don’t necessarily expect much more from their R&B stars than a smooth voice and dirty mouth. It just seemed like he wanted to be so much more.

50
The Needle Drop
The Canadian experimental R&B project the Weekend goes from riveting to underwhelming in its transition from its last mixtape to its first new commercial studio album.
50
musicOMH

Despite Kiss Land being The Weeknd’s major label debut release, what was once a breath of fresh air now sounds rather played out.

50
The Sydney Morning Herald

Debut album proper, Kiss Land carries expectations, but it lacks progression and standout cuts.

40
Slant Magazine

The Weeknd’s Kiss Land makes for a generally brutal, misogynistic listen.

40
Rolling Stone

Kiss Land follows in the lethargic steps of 2012's Trilogy, but the pace is slower, songwriting thinner and vision more bloodshot.

40
The Guardian
Killer hooks might transform his singular subject, "the loneliness of filling every need", into a perversely seductive portrait of ennui, but Tesfaye has always been a middling songwriter.
40
The Independent
This debut album proper fails to develop or change-up his formula of predatory sexuality expressed in tremulous tones.
40
Tiny Mix Tapes

The initial mystique of The Weeknd is gone, and we’re now confronted with the work of a young man who possesses an impressive voice, an incredible ear for production, and a complete lack of purpose in his confrontational, intensely graphic lyrical obsessions.

35
Crack Magazine

Giving his grim depravity a glossy sheen, on Kiss Land he's become RnB's Patrick Bateman.

TomBejoy
100

colour code: styrofoam green

"Scanners, naked lunch, Polanski's Chinatown, Enter The Void, Amadeus and Videodrome"

Pretty Much Amazing's review reads as follows
"Kiss Land is the crystallization of a concept that has been gestating for over two years, an idea that swelled in scope and sound as the world embraced Tesfaye and his dysphoric, benumbed universe"

Kiss Land explores a variety of themes, namely digital love/long-distance relationships, the effects of fame, and ... read more

AZIZ
81

I honestly still don't understand peoples problem's with this record. This is a very potent piece of R&B music. Abel continues the themes of Echoes of Silence and twists them in a way that makes the record feel expansive and powerful. Awesome album Abel.

BuffaloStaple
85

Fire
Flames
Amazin
Bangin
Knockin
Swaggin
Jammin
Groovin
Zoopin
Boomin
Spazzin
Whackin
Blastin
Smackin
Slappin

FranoRed
82

Interesting Facts/What is he talking about? About albums in tracks!

1. Professional - In the song, he tells us about the consumer-artist relationship, his own naivety and addiction to fame beyond money.

2. The Town - In this song, The Weeknd shows how he dealt with a woman who left him for someone else, even though she later became single, and how he knew she would take him back no matter what.

3. Adaptation - The entire album was inspired by filmmakers like John Carpenter who are great at ... read more

100

Absolutely flawless album. The story plays out so nice and the aesthetic is so nice
Genuinely feels like watching a movie at times.

It's SOOO well made and its features some of his best vocal performances ever
The overall vibe he managed to capture with this one is something extremely impressive and he hasnt done anything as good since.
I suppose Dawn FM would be the closest to this, but I don't like the actual music as much on that one.

easy 10/10

DAWNN
70

"Kiss Land" marks The Weeknd's debut studio album, released in 2013, following his critically acclaimed mixtapes that garnered him a dedicated following in the underground R&B scene. This album serves as a bold exploration of Tesfaye's dark and hedonistic world, blending elements of R&B, electronic, and alternative music to create a unique sonic landscape.

From the haunting opener, "Professional," to the atmospheric title track, "Kiss Land," the album ... read more

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Track List

1Professional
6:08
86
2The Town
5:07
84
3Adaptation
4:43
87
4Love In The Sky
4:27
85
5Belong To The World
5:07
87
6Live For
3:44
feat. Drake
71
7Wanderlust
5:06
88
8Kiss Land
7:35
89
9Pretty
6:15
83
10Tears In The Rain
7:26
89
Total Length: 55 minutes

Year End Lists

#5/Entertainment Weekly
#34/Gigwise
#48/musicOMH
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Added on: July 22, 2013