Trilogy is themajor label debut of and firstcompilation album by Canadian singer-songwriterthe Weeknd. It was released on November 13, 2012, throughXO andRepublic Records. It is composed of remixed and remastered versions of the songs contained in his 2011 mixtapesHouse of Balloons,Thursday andEchoes of Silence, and three previously unreleased songs, "Twenty Eight", "Valerie", and "Till Dawn (Here Comes the Sun)" were included as bonus tracks.
Trilogy received generally positive reviews from critics, who reinforced the previous acclaim of the mixtapes, although some found it indulgent. It was promoted with three singles and the Weeknd's concert tour during September to November 2012. The album charted at number five in Canada and number four in the United States.
In 2011, the Weeknd released a series of mixtapes—House of Balloons,Thursday andEchoes of Silence—and garnered both critical acclaim and a growing fan base.[2][3] The mixtapes were principally recorded with producersDoc McKinney andIllangelo,[4] at Dream House and Site Sound Studios inToronto; additional sessions took place at Sterling Road Studios.[5] The Weeknd released the mixtapes online as freedigital downloads.[2]
In September 2012, the Weeknd signed withRepublic Records in a joint venture with his own imprint labelXO.[6] The mixtapes were subsequentlyremastered and compiled forTrilogy, along with three previously unreleased songs, "Twenty Eight", "Valerie", and "Till Dawn (Here Comes the Sun)",[3] which were recorded at Liberty Studios in Toronto.[5] The three songs were included as bonus tracks at the end of each of the compilation's discs.[7]
On November 13, 2022, the Weeknd announced that he is considering removingTrilogy from streaming services due to both the original samples finally being cleared and him not being a fan of the updated mixes, telling fans to instead listen to the three mixtapes individually.[8]
The Weeknd toured in support ofTrilogy during September to November 2012.[6] He previewed the album at a listening party inNew York City on October 24. It was his first major media event.[9]
A video accompanying the track "Rolling Stone" was released on October 3, 2012, to promote the album's release.[18] The Weeknd posted an open letter to his fans on his website, where he explained the meaning of the video.[19]
Trilogy was met with generally positive reviews. AtMetacritic, which assigns anormalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received anaverage score of 79, based on 19 reviews.[21] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 8.1 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[20]
John Calvert ofFact dubbed it "an r'n'b album with few equals in terms of narrational ambition".[24] Oliver Keens ofTime Out wrote that the Weeknd "communicates" his character "so engagingly onTrilogy" and found him "riveting when he juxtaposes debauchery with a delivery that finds him numb and on the verge of tears".[32] Killian Fox ofThe Observer felt that the mixtapes' "production sounded great to start with" and that the "new material is unexceptional", but ultimately stated, "if you didn't pick up the mixtapes when they were going free, and can handle 160 minutes of beautifully crafted nihilism, this is an essential buy".[28] Although he found the new songs "arbitrary in terms of sequencing",Pitchfork's Ian Cohen cited the compilation as "some of the best music of the young decade; judging by its already pervasive influence, it's safe to sayTrilogy (or at leastHouse of Balloons) will be one of those records that will be viewed as a turning point when we look at the 2010s as a whole".[29]
In a mixed review,AllMusic's Andy Kellman felt that, despite moments when he is "distinctively gripping", the Weeknd lacks "restraint, as he is prone to repetitious whining that is more young boy than youngKeith Sweat". Kellman wrote that "now that he's with a label, he'll hopefully get some kind of filter that enables him to fulfill the promise heard in these 160 minutes of one-dimensional, occasionally exhilarating overindulgence ... His potential is as obvious as his lyrics are toxic".[22] Kevin Ritchie ofNow found the music "impressive", but found the "lyrical ambivalence" to be "a bit one-note" by the album's second hour.[33] Although he found its "excess oppressive" when listened to in its entirety,Drowned in Sound's Robert Leedlum deemedTrilogy to be "untouchable" as a "comprehensive document of a specific moment in time".[34] Paul MacInnes ofThe Guardian wrote that its three discs "offer a rough trajectory of party, after-party and hangover, through which an assertive voice gives way to one that sounds more troubled", and concluded, "Trilogy does remove some of the Weeknd's mystique – lyrical formulae become apparent, and examples of engaging melody recede as the collection advances. Whatever its limits, however,Trilogy remains a striking piece of work".[25]
^[b] "The Party & the After Party" contains elements of "Master of None", written byVictoria Legrand andAlex Scally; and a sample of "Master of None", as performed byBeach House.
^[c] "Loft Music" contains elements of "Gila", written by Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally; and a sample of "Gila", as performed by Beach House.
