Echoes sees the Weeknd’s central character realizing that the girls he thought he was playing on House Of Balloons are actually playing him just as much. The mood is dark, druggy and claustrophobic, but this time Tesfaye is channelling a pain that’s less about cold emptiness than it is about more traditional heartbreak and longing. No one has made non-stop partying sound so depressing since Lou Reed’s early solo work, and while many may find the oppressive darkness hard to relate to, larger numbers of rabid fans are finding themselves deeply seduced by it.

We get the feeling that much of his game-changing business decisions are coming mainly from a standpoint of inexperience, but that doesn’t make them bad choices. Sure, Tesfaye has burned more than a few music industry bridges already by turning down insane offers, but as his career continues on this trajectory, it’s becoming apparent that when he finally agrees to say yes to something, it’ll be much bigger than he could have asked for if he’d signed the first contract put in front of him.

You can almost see the terror in the eyes of the major labels as they watch an artist like this bypassing all of their infrastructure and building his career on his own terms.

Even if you can’t stand his quivering falsetto and find his lyrics creepy, you still need to pay close attention to what’s happening here.