The Weeknd’s new album Dawn FM is all about confronting the unimaginable. The entire concept revolves around the process of death and ascension by way of a radio broadcast, narrated gleefully by Jim Carrey,with each song inching closer to the void. After Hours was all about running away — from your morals, your commitments, and even yourself — until you are finally caught. It ends like Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless, with our lowlife protagonist gasping for air as he finally bleeds out. Dawn FM is the next phase; faced with oblivion, there’s nowhere else to go but inward. As Carrey ponders in the album’s closer, “It’s time to look back on the things you thought you owned.”

“Is There Someone Else?” may not go down as the most iconic song on the record, but it is a perfect sample of what it knocks out of the park. The song is novel for Abel Tesfaye; For once he’s not the most toxic character in his own narrative. He is confronted with an unfaithful lover who can’t hide the fact that something is wrong. Part of Abel’s realization comes from his admission that he’s been in that position before. And yet, rather than spurning them, Abel is empathetic. Shockingly, he’s even worried about how this will hurt the other man. There’s no opportunity to be petty here. The clock is ticking, and if there’s any hope of this relationship surviving, it’s time to decide.

Different listeners are bound to get varying mileage out of The Weeknd’s continued embrace of ‘80s pop soundscapes. However, what’s undeniable is that Abel’s sense of melody has only gotten stronger. The songwriting here is so effortlessly cool that it’s hard to determine the catchiest moment. Meanwhile, producer Daniel Lopatin’s — aka Oneohtrix Point Never — continued involvement as Abel’s right hand man remains one of modern pop music’s most exciting crossovers. When he merges with Swedish production kingpin Max Martin, everyone’s best impulses come out. Over crisp drums and languid synth grooves, The Weeknd quietly crafts one of the most compelling moments of his entire career.