The brief intro is full of peaceful violins, chirping birds, suspenseful 1980s synth and The Weeknd’s smooth voice singing “this part I do alone” to establish the self-reflecting journey of the album. Then, Jim Carrey welcomes you to The Weeknd’s fifth studio album, “Dawn FM.”

“You are now listening to 103.5 Dawn FM,” Carrey said through a radio-voice filter. He added that too much time has been spent in the darkness since The Weeknd has struggled with his personal trauma and mental health. “It’s time to walk into the light,” Carrey said.

The whole intro to the opening track of the album, especially the line about coming into “the light,” tells us the main idea of the album. The Weeknd — otherwise known as Abel Makkonen Tesfaye — reflects on growing from toxic behaviors in love and relationships. In this sense, the Canadian artist is trying to escape the darkness of facing his traumas and reach peace with himself.

As told by the album title and first song, “Dawn FM,” Tesfaye designed the album to be like a radio show with Carrey as our host. In all his parts, Carrey speaks directly to Tesfaye as he supports and encourages the artist to keep working to grow from his traumatic past. The album is bookended with spoken monologues from Carrey, as well as another in the middle of the album on the song “Out of Time.”

“Out of Time,” the album’s seventh track, is straight from the 1980s — fitting in with the heartbreak pop songs of the decade. A funky pop-style bass stands out to the ear, with woodwind sounds echoing over smooth synthesizer and upbeat, half-time drums holding all the pieces together. Tesfaye’s silky vocals anguish over the relationship he lost forever as a consequence of his own actions, singing “I love you, girl,” adding in retro-like harmonies with “but I’m out of time.”

At the end of the song, Carrey tells Tesfaye, “Don’t you dare touch that dial, because like the song says, you are out of time,” — telling Tesfaye forward is the only way he can go. Carrey goes on to say Tesfaye will heal from his traumas and pain soon enough, but “there is still more music to come” before that happens.

The end of the monologue serves as a transition for the rest of the album, as Carrey states there will be “30 minutes of easy listening to some slow tracks on 103.5 Dawn FM,” continuing the radio show concept. The next song, “Here We Go… Again,” can be heard playing quietly in the background like a radio transition. As promised, the next several songs following “Out of Time” have a mellow feel, contrasting the energetic dance beats of the album’s first half.

The calming synths of “Here We Go… Again” are reminiscent of the music of the iconic 1980s movie “The Labyrinth,” directed by Jim Henson with a soundtrack by David Bowie. A retro synthesizer sound appears in one form or another on every song of the album, from the techno 1980s video game riffs of the second track “Gasoline” to the ominous dark synth on “Every Angel is Terrifying” near the end of the album.

Throughout “Dawn FM,” The Weeknd masterfully blends the synthesizer sounds of old pop music with a modern, hip-hop twist and spoken word poetry. In the song “A Tale by Quincy,” producer Quincy Jones — winner of 28 Grammy awards — makes an appearance to tell a story about the influence a difficult upbringing can have on romantic relationships in adulthood.

Due to the structure of the album, with the radio show concept and the themes carefully crafted into the album, it is not one you want to play on shuffle; the album is best experienced when listened through from start to finish. Tesfaye takes the listener with him on a journey through his struggles to process deeply-rooted personal issues, seeing the toll that healing — and lack thereof — takes on one’s relationships.

The Weeknd has started 2022 with a new masterpiece that is worth a listen for fans of pop music, R&B and 1980s synthesizers.