Thursday (album)

Background and development

In December 2010, the Weeknd met Canadian producer Illangelo for the first time in a recording studio, where Illangelo was conducting sessions from the morning to the night. In their first session, they produced multiple songs, some ending up on the Weeknd's debut mixtape, House of Balloons (2011), and an early version of "Gone", the seventh track from Thursday. The fourth track, "The Zone" was conceptualized as Illangelo began playing a track, which the Weeknd soon began singing over. As Thursday's production continued, the Weeknd decided that Canadian rapper Drake would be the only feature on the mixtape. Drake came to the studio and recorded his verse for the song soon after.

Promotion

Promotional singles

The mixtape's first promotional single, "Rolling Stone", was released on May 25, 2011.

"The Birds, Pt. 1" was released as the mixtape's second and final promotional single, on June 15, 2011.

Critical reception

Thursday received critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the mixtape received an average score of 80, based on 17 reviews. Evan Rytlewski of The A.V. Club said, "It's a rare songwriter who can craft music that's so repellent yet also so irresistible." Winston Robbins of Consequence of Sound said, "Despite the ridiculously high highs of this album, it fails to maintain a great pace throughout. It struggles back and forth between "good" and "great," whereas its foregoer grabbed "great" by the balls on the first track and never let go." Benjamin Boles of Now said, "It's not quite perfect: his voice is the star of the show but is occasionally buried under the clever beats and production. But that's a small complaint about someone who's looking more and more like one of the most exciting artists to emerge this year." Q magazine stated, "Toronto outfit, The Weeknd, has been hailed as one of the most exciting new sounds in modern R&B -- hype that, on the basis of this equally startling follow-up, seems entirely justified." Brandon Soderberg of Pitchfork said, "Though there's less breathing space on Thursday, and fewer melodic hooks, it still feels of a piece with House of Balloons."

BBC Music's Mike Diver made a positive review, saying, "File him beside Frank Ocean as an R&B star set to climb to new heights in 2012." Matthew Cole of Slant Magazine wrote, "The Weeknd is in full command of his craft, and at this point it's almost impossible for me to imagine that he won't deliver on the finale. He's earned my trust, as would any other artist who had already released two of the year's best albums." Tyler Fisher of Sputnikmusic said, "Listening to something like Thursday is the ultimate form of escapism that so many of us flock to music for. That's a quality that should be celebrated, not criticized for its lack of immediate pleasure." Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone gave a mixed review, commenting, "While it's refreshing to hear an R&B singer emphasizing the psychic toll of libertinism, his angst sex grows tiresome. Once in a while, can't this dude just get laid, and have fun doing it?"

Track listing

All tracks produced by Doc McKinney and Illangelo.

Credits for Trilogy adapted from liner notes.

• Abel Tesfaye (The Weeknd) – lead vocals, additional production songwriting/composition
• Carlo Montagnese (Illangelo) – production, songwriting, mixing recording engineer
• Martin McKinney (Doc McKinney) – production, songwriting, recording engineer
• Matthew Acton − assistant recording engineer (tracks 1, 6, 8 & 9)
• Adrian "X" Eccleston – guitar (track 2)
• Shin Kamiyama – assistant recording engineer (track 10)
• Noel Cadastre – assistant recording engineer (track 4)
• Drake – featured vocals, songwriting (track 4)

Sample credits

• "Life of the Party" contains elements of "Drugs in My Body", performed by Thieves Like Us.
• "The Birds Part 2" contains elements of "Sandpaper Kisses", performed by Martina Topley-Bird.

Charts

Certifications

Release history

References

References

1. Phillips, Amy. (August 18, 2011). "The Weeknd Releases Thursday Mixtape". Pitchfork.
2. Ortiz, Edwin. (September 4, 2013). "Interview: Illangelo Talks About "History of Man," Working with The Weeknd & Elijah Blake". Complex.
3. Morris, Matt. (August 19, 2011). "The Weeknd – Thursday (Mixtape)". Hypebeast.
4. Nelson Jr, Keith. (April 29, 2021). "Studio Sessions {{!}} Illangelo talks The Weeknd's 'House of Balloons,' Drake, and 'After Hours'".
5. Hughes, Josiah. (May 25, 2011). "The Weeknd - "Rolling Stone"".
6. Fitzmaurice, Larry. (June 15, 2011). "Listen: The Weeknd: "The Birds (Part 1)".
7. "Thursday by The Weeknd reviews". AnyDecentMusic?.
8. "Reviews for Thursday by The Weeknd". [[Metacritic]].
9. "Thursday – The Weeknd". [[AllMusic]].
10. Rytlewski, Evan. (September 6, 2011). "The Weeknd: Thursday". [[The A.V. Club]].
11. Robbins, Winston. (August 22, 2011). "Album Review: The Weeknd – Thursday". [[Consequence of Sound]].
12. Gunn, Tam. (August 30, 2011). "The Weeknd: Thursday". [[Fact (UK magazine).
13. Boles, Benjamin. (August 25, 2011). "The Weeknd – Thursday". [[Now (newspaper).
14. Soderberg, Brandon. (August 25, 2011). "The Weeknd: Thursday". [[Pitchfork (website).
15. (November 2011). "The Weeknd: Thursday". [[Q (magazine).
16. Ryce, Andrew. (August 31, 2011). "The Weeknd – Thursday". [[Resident Advisor]].
17. Rosen, Jody. (August 30, 2011). "Thursday".
18. Cole, Matthew. (August 31, 2011). "The Weeknd: Thursday". [[Slant Magazine]].
19. Diver, Mike. "Review of The Weeknd – Thursday". [[BBC Music]].
20. Fisher, Tyler. (August 25, 2011). "The Weeknd – Thursday". Sputnikmusic.
21. (2012). "Trilogy". [[Republic Records]].
22. "Official IFPI Charts Top-75 Albums Sales Chart (Combined) – Εβδομάδα: 32-35/2025". [[IFPI Greece]].