Echoes of Silence | ||||
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Mixtape by The Weeknd | ||||
Released | December 21, 2011 | |||
Recorded | 2011 | |||
Length | 45:45 | |||
Label | XO | |||
Producer |
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The Weeknd chronology | ||||
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Professional ratings | |
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Aggregate scores | |
Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 7.7/10 |
Metacritic | 82/100 |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The A.V. Club | B+ |
Chicago Tribune | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Entertainment Weekly | B+ |
The Guardian | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Now | ![]() |
Pitchfork | 8.1/10 |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Slant Magazine | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Spin | 8/10 |
Echoes of Silence is the third mixtape by Canadian singer The Weeknd, released December 21, 2011, by his official website. The release follows his Polaris Music Prize-nominated debut release House of Balloons and his second mixtape Thursday, both released earlier the same year. The project is the final installment in the trilogy of free albums released by The Weeknd in 2011.
The album was preceded by the release of the single, "Initiation". Long-time collaborator Carlo "Illangelo" Montagnese returned to produce the bulk of the project, with other production contributions coming from Clams Casino and DropxLife of the XO crew. Rapper Juicy J contributes a short spoken-word interlude at the end of "Same Old Song".
Echoes of Silence received widespread acclaim from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the mixtape received an average score of 82, based on 17 reviews. Evan Rytlewski of The A.V. Club said, "It's Tesfaye's total commitment to his ghastly persona that makes Echoes Of Silence so entrancingly chilling."Greg Kot of Chicago Tribune said, "It's an impressive consolidation of his strengths, tightening up his songwriting and sharpening his often disturbing wordplay." Kyle Anderson of Entertainment Weekly said, "Tesfaye's velvety melodies infuse his trippy minimalism like incense smoke, getting lost only on the too-woozy title track."Alexis Petridis of The Guardian said, "The dragging beats, washes of synthesiser and eclectic musical references – chillwave and crunk hip-hop, Aaliyah and France Gall – somehow contrive to sound not just eerie and desolate but cosseting as well, inexorably drawing the listener into a deeply troubling world."