【搬运】【译】Pitchfork评The Weeknd单曲《After Hours》

搬运自：微信公众号【评论搬一堆】（在原文基础上添加了英语原文与排版调整）

翻译：Cathy Lin

审译：Emma.Z

排版：Lynn Liu

The Weeknd’s epochs can be clearly defined as pre- and post-“Can’t Feel My Face.” The mysterious character of his mixtape trilogy cut an enigmatic figure lurking seedy club and hotel corridors, and producer Max Martin transformed him into a radio-friendly Kids’ Choice Award nominee, a progression that led to an eventual rebirth as a Daft Punk-retrofitted Starboy. He straddled the line on his last EP, My Dear Melancholy, but there has always been an explicit conflict between the volatile, shapeless R&B of his breakthrough and the sophisti-pop of his star turn.

盆栽的个人时代可以清晰地划分为前“Can't feel my face”时代和后“Can't feel my face”时代。他的个人三部曲里神秘的角色，在肮脏的酒吧里和酒店走廊里隐藏着一贯让人捉摸不透的形象，制作人Max Martin（麦克斯·马丁）把盆栽塑造成电台流行型的儿童选择奖提名者的过程，引领他最终成为Daft Punk（蠢朋克）转型版的Starboy（星际男孩）。尽管跨越了上一张个人EP《My Dear Melancholy》，在他对燥动又杂乱无章的R&B突破中以及自成名以来的文雅流行的风格之间，总有一些直接的冲突。

The Weeknd did it Martin’s way on the upbeat, incandescent “Blinding Lights,” an obvious contender for Top 40 radio charts. Now he’s reverting back to old habits for “After Hours,” the title track from his upcoming album. Well, sort of—while the track is moody, long, and somewhat restless, it is never as spellbinding as his old work nor as advanced as his newer material. Co-produced by the Weeknd, Trilogy mastermind Illangelo, frequent collaborator DeHeala, and singer-songwriter Mario Winans, the song opens with his old signature style—falsetto, echoes, and recurrent tones—until suddenly it erupts into dance production. “I turned into the man I used to be,” he sings, but the transformation is incomplete, and he seems stuck halfway.

While the song’s dark atmospherics are reminiscent of the Weeknd’s early music, there is a noticeable thematic shift: “After Hours” is an apology for who he was and a vow to change. It is a remorseful pivot away from unapologetic hedonism. “I was running away from facin’ reality/Wastin’ all of my time on living my fantasies,” he sings. This is the Weeknd at his most repentant and cliche, willing to give it all up just to hold her close. The irony is that the man he’s apologizing for is the same emotionally abusive low-life featured on the album’s lead single, “Heartless.” It seems these shifts in the Weeknd’s mood are as inevitable as the phases of the moon he prowls under.

盆栽的“Blinding Lights”中按照Martin积极热情又向上的风格，成为了竞争电台榜单前40的选手之一。如今他又为“After Hours”回到了老传统，这是一首来自即将发布的新专辑中的单曲。其实，这首情绪丰富冗长，还带着点躁动的单曲，不像他以往的作品一样迷人，也不像他的新作一样前卫。这首由盆栽、《Trilogy》主力Illangelo、经常合作的DeHeala以及作词者Mario Winans联合创作的歌，由他的旧个性风格-假音、回声和轮回的音调-开场，直到突然间闯进了一段舞曲。他唱到：“我变回了我之前的模样，”然而这次转变不算完整，他似乎在半途中困住了。

尽管单曲的暗黑氛围让人联想回盆栽的早期音乐，这首歌还是有一个值得注意的主题性的变化：“After Hours”是向他过去道歉并立誓做出改变。这是个产生懊悔的爆发点，远离了毫无歉意的享乐主义。他唱到“面对现实的我跑开了/我把时间都浪费在活在幻想里”。这是盆栽最追悔莫及却也最显陈词滥调的一次，这次他愿意放弃一切，只为抱紧她。讽刺的是，他为之做出道歉的那个人物，和专辑主打单曲“Heartless”中的人物一样，是个潦倒的感情虐待狂。盆栽情绪里的转变似乎和他在月光下潜行一样难以避免。