The new video for “Take My Breath” is a stylish, strobe-lit noir delight.
The Weeknd Returns With a ‘The Matrix’-Inspired Disco Fantasy
The Weeknd is back! Although did he ever really go away? The musician, also known under his real name Abel Tesfaye, has had a rollercoaster ride since the release of his fourth album, After Hours, in 2020. As well as spawning three Billboard Hot 100 number ones, including the monster hit “Blinding Lights,” he also delivered a perfectly judged rebuke to his shocking Grammys snub last year, noting that he will no longer be submitting his records to the Recording Academy in future. Finally, there was his showstopping performance at the Super Bowl LV halftime show, which included nods to Michael Jackson, a slick Givenchy suit, and a much-memed red carpet appearance involving plastic surgery bandages.
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Now, with his Giorgio Moroder-inspired, full-throttle disco banger “Take My Breath,” Tesfaye is opening a new chapter—with a sleek, strobe-lit video taking place at an epic underground rave that could be straight out of the infamous Zion dance party scene in the 2003 sci-fi sequel The Matrix Reloaded. Beginning with Tesfaye stalking the dimly-lit corridors of a city underpass in orange-tinted sunglasses and a razor-sharp leather jacket and skinny tie, he finds himself drawn to a mysterious figure at the party, decked out in black leather and industrial silver jewelry, who offers him a puff from her oxygen tank. After taking to the dancefloor, he finds himself having his breath taken away quite literally, as she suffocates him with one of her braids and drags him back down the underpass. Just your typical night out, then.
In an interview with GQ that dropped earlier this week, Tesfaye described his upcoming party-inspired record as “the album I’ve always wanted to make.” If “Take My Breath” is anything to go by, it’s likely to be the album his fans have always wanted to hear, too.
This story originally appeared on: Vogue - Author:Liam Hess
