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The Weeknd is leaving his After Hours era in the rear-view mirror and gearing up for the release of his fifth studio album.
Wiping his Instagram clean on Sunday, the 31-year-old artist shared two cryptic updates that hinted his new music is on the horizon.
The first image, which he shared late Sunday night with his 32 million followers, is mysterious in nature — depicting him in profile, bathed in white-blue light while wearing an oversized black leather jacket as he looks down through amber-tinted sunglasses.
The second update is a nearly two-minute preview of his upcoming new single. The visual continues his theme of daylight, taking viewers on a first-person ride over a dark landscape and toward the setting sun until the entire screen is blanketed in white light.
Minimally captioned as “.” , the preview is reminiscent of the music made by his Starboy collaborators Daft Punk. The undulating, retro-sounding techno beat pulsates over a loud snare and a chorus of “oohs.”
Prior to wiping his Instagram clean, The Weeknd teased his next chapter in music over on Twitter by writing, “F*** it … IT STARTS TONIGHT.”
The Grammy winner first alluded to his upcoming album in April and, during a May interview with Variety, he stated, “If the last record is the after hours of the night, then the dawn is coming.”
A release date and title for The Weeknd’s upcoming work are currently unknown.
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