The Weeknd Meditates on a Looming End in New ‘Unprepared Certainty…’ Teaser

The Weeknd has dropped a new teaser with three and a half minutes of new music as he continues to prepare for what he’s said will be his final album under the Weeknd moniker.

The clip shared to YouTube is titled “Unprepared Certainty…” and features animated visuals directed by Evan Larsen. Musically, it begins with a brooding, dirge-like song that finds the Weeknd crooning over weeping synths: “All I have is my legacy/I’ve been losing my memory/No afterlife, no other side/I’m all alone when it fades to black.”

About halfway through, the music switches up a bit, the synths giving way to the quiet strum of a guitar. But the Weeknd still seems to be meditating on the past and a looming end: “You can change locations, you can change your name/They will always find a way/Turn your life to nightmares, ready for the chase/They will always find a way.”

“Unprepared certainty…” follows a similarly cryptic and eerie teaser released late last month called, “The abyss gazes also into you…” Again, that video featured animation from Larsen, and snippets of two unreleased songs (though one of them was a previously previewed demo that fans have been referring to as “Hold Your Heart” since the Weeknd first shared it on Instagram Live in 2020).

The Weeknd has yet to share any official details about his upcoming album, such as a release date or title. Along with marking the end of the Weeknd era, it’s believed the album will cap off a trilogy of records that also include the musician’s last two LPs, 2020’s After Hours and 2022’s Dawn FM. 

From Rolling Stone US.