Abel Tesfaye, the man we mostly still call The Weeknd despite his pivot toward using his birth name, is a master of the "long game." He doesn't just drop songs; he builds entire cinematic universes where fans get lost for years. Among the debris of leaked tracks, unreleased demos, and cryptic Instagram stories, few topics spark as much debate as Monster Party The Weeknd. It’s a phrase that brings back memories of the After Hours era—a time when Abel was literally bleeding for his art, wearing that red suit until it probably stood up on its own.
Honestly, tracking down the origins of this specific "era" feels like digital archaeology. You’ve got the hardcore fans on Reddit and Discord who swear it was a scrapped concept, while others argue it’s just a catch-all term for the chaotic, drug-fueled, maximalist energy of his 2020-2021 run. It’s gritty. It’s dark. It's basically everything that made Starboy look like a PG-rated sitcom by comparison.
The Aesthetic Behind the Chaos
What was it? If you look at the visual direction of After Hours, specifically the short films and the "Until I Bleed Out" music video, the Monster Party The Weeknd vibe is everywhere. It’s that feeling of being at a party that went on two hours too long, where the lights are too bright, the people look like ghouls, and you’re pretty sure your heart is beating in a rhythm that hasn’t been invented yet.
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Abel has always been obsessed with cinema. He pulls from Scorsese, Safdie Brothers, and 80s horror. During the height of the "Monster Party" rumors, fans pointed to the prosthetic makeup he wore for the "Save Your Tears" video. That bloated, surgical-nightmare face wasn't just a gimmick. It was a commentary on the "monsters" created by Hollywood and the celebrity machine. He was literally turning himself into a caricature of a plastic surgery disaster. It was grotesque. It was brilliant. It was peak Abel.
The sonic landscape matched the visuals. We’re talking about heavy synths, distorted vocals, and a sense of impending doom. While songs like "Blinding Lights" were absolute pop juggernauts, the deeper cuts of that era—and the leaked tracks associated with the "Monster Party" sessions—were much more abrasive. They had this jagged edge.
Why the Fans Won't Let It Go
Internet subcultures are weird. They take a tiny crumb of information and bake a whole loaf of bread. With Monster Party The Weeknd, the obsession stems from the belief that there is a "darker" version of the After Hours album sitting in a vault somewhere.
Think about it. We know Abel records hundreds of songs for every project. We know he scraps entire albums—he famously threw away an "upbeat" album after his breakup with Selena Gomez because it didn't feel authentic to his headspace. The "Monster Party" era is viewed as the bridge between the sleekness of Starboy and the existential purgatory of Dawn FM.
- Fans have identified specific leaks like "Take Me Back to LA" or early versions of "Faith" as the DNA of this period.
- The fashion was a huge giveaway: the transition from the red suit to the bandages to the bloated face.
- The lyrics shifted from "I'm a god" to "I'm a monster," a subtle but vital distinction in his narrative arc.
It’s about the transformation. In the Trilogy days, he was the guy at the party you were warned about. During the "Monster Party" phase, he was the party, and the party was a nightmare.
The Sound of a Bad Trip
If you sit down and listen to the production on tracks like "Heartless," you can hear the influence of Metro Boomin and Illangelo clashing in the best way possible. It sounds expensive but dirty. That is the essence of the Monster Party The Weeknd aesthetic. It's a $5,000 suit covered in champagne and nosebleeds.
Critics often miss the humor in his work. There’s a dark, satirical comedy to the way he portrays himself as this irredeemable monster. When he showed up to the American Music Awards wrapped in bandages, he was mocking the media's obsession with his personal life. He was giving them the "monster" they wanted to see.
Impact on the Pop Music Landscape
You can’t talk about modern pop without talking about how Abel shifted the goalposts. Before this era, pop was getting a bit too "clean." Everything was acoustic guitars or tropical house. Then Abel comes in with heavy 80s nostalgia, horror-movie synths, and a visual palette that looked like it was filmed in a haunted casino.
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The Monster Party The Weeknd influence is visible in almost every major artist now. You see it in the way rappers are experimenting with rock textures and the way pop stars are embracing "ugly" aesthetics. He made it cool to be the villain again.
But it wasn't just about the clothes or the hair. It was the technical proficiency. His vocal runs during this period were arguably the best of his career. He was hitting those Michael Jackson-esque high notes while singing about the most harrowing subjects imaginable. The contrast is what makes it work. It’s the "sugar-coated pill" approach to songwriting. You’re dancing to "In Your Eyes," but if you actually read the lyrics, it’s a pretty bleak look at infidelity and emotional blindness.
Tracking the Leaks and "What Ifs"
The "Monster Party" folder in the minds of fans is filled with tracks that never saw the light of day. We've seen glimpses of these in live performances and snippets.
- The "Hold Your Heart" snippet: A soaring, emotional track that felt like it belonged in a climactic movie scene.
- "Take Me Back to LA": A fan favorite that perfectly captured the loneliness of the West Coast lifestyle.
- The alternate "Escape from LA" versions: These were reportedly much darker and more experimental than the final product.
The reality is that "Monster Party" probably wasn't a formal album title. It was a vibe. A mood. A specific window of time where Abel was pushing the boundaries of how much "horror" a pop audience would tolerate.
Moving Toward the New Frontier
As Abel moves toward his final album under The Weeknd moniker, the Monster Party The Weeknd era serves as the crucial turning point. It was the moment he stopped being just a "hitmaker" and became a true "auteur." He proved he could control the narrative of his own celebrity by turning it into a performance piece.
The transition into Dawn FM made sense after the chaos. If After Hours was the party/nightmare, Dawn FM was the drive home in the early morning, stuck in traffic in a literal purgatory. You can't have the radio-station-in-limbo without first having the drug-fueled rampage through the streets of Las Vegas.
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He’s a student of the craft. He knows that to keep an audience engaged for over a decade, you have to keep killing off versions of yourself. The "Monster" had to die so that the "Old Man" (the Dawn FM persona) could be born, and eventually, whatever the "Hurry Up Tomorrow" era brings us.
Actionable Takeaways for Fans and Collectors
If you're trying to piece together the full story of this era, you have to look beyond the Spotify top hits. The story is in the margins.
- Watch the Short Films: Don't just watch the music videos. Watch the After Hours short film and the "Mania" film from the previous era to see the evolution of his visual storytelling.
- Listen to the Instrumentals: To truly appreciate the "Monster Party" sound, find the instrumental versions of the After Hours tracks. The layering of the synths is a masterclass in modern production.
- Track the Visual Timeline: Look at his red carpet appearances from late 2019 through 2021. Notice how the "injuries" on his face progress. It's a chronological story told through makeup.
- Dig Into the Credits: Look at the names like Daniel Lopatin (Oneohtrix Point Never). His influence brought a heavy dose of experimental electronic music into Abel’s world, which is a key component of the "Monster" sound.
The Weeknd has always been about the experience. Whether "Monster Party" was a scrapped album or just a fan-coined term for a specific aesthetic, its impact is undeniable. It cemented Abel's legacy as an artist who isn't afraid to get his hands dirty, or his face bloody, in the pursuit of a great story.
Keep an eye on his current teases for the upcoming project. He often circles back to themes he explored years prior. The "monster" might be gone for now, but in Abel's world, nothing stays dead for long.
To get the most out of this era, go back and listen to the After Hours (Deluxe) tracks—specifically "Final Lullaby." It’s the quietest moment of the "Monster Party," the sound of the lights finally turning off and the realization that the party is over. That’s where the real magic happens.