Maps of Music

Kiss Land (2013)

Where the lyrics of Kiss Land take you, and where it was really made.

The debut album was first set for August 27, 2013, then pushed back two weeks to September 10.

Key places

Conway Recording Studios, Los Angeles (2013)

Recording site Conway Recording Studios — Conway Recording Studios in Los Angeles is listed as a recording location for Kiss Land. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

South Beach, Miami (2013)

Recording site South Beach (Miami) — South Beach in Miami is listed as a recording location for Kiss Land. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

The Studio at the Setai, Miami Beach (2013)

Recording site South Beat Studios — The Studio at the Setai in Miami Beach is listed as a recording location for Kiss Land, placed at city center. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Studio at the Palms, Las Vegas (2013)

Recording site Studio at the Palms — Studio at the Palms in Las Vegas is listed as a recording location for Kiss Land. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Kiss Land: debut studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter the Weeknd
• Released September 10, 2013 through XO and Republic Records
• Supported by the lead single of the same name
• Other singles: Belong to the World, Love in the Sky, Live For, Pretty, and Wanderlust
• Production mainly by DannyBoyStyles, the Weeknd, and DaHeala, among others

Background

• March 17, 2013: the Weeknd announced the debut album would be titled Kiss Land
• July 2013: Amazon revealed an August 27, 2013 release date
• July 22, 2013: release pushed back to September 10, 2013
• The Weeknd described the album as an invented world, comparing it to House of Balloons and Toronto
• He called the album like a horror movie, built around fear
• Album cover released July 21, 2013
• July 8, 2013: 29-date Kiss Land Fall Tour announced, running September 6 to November 25

Recording

• Recording locations listed for the album: Conway Recording Studios in Los Angeles, South Beach in Miami, The Studio at the Setai in Miami Beach, and Studio at the Palms in Las Vegas

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Abel Tesfaye, born February 16, 1990, Scarborough, Ontario, Canada; Ethiopian immigrant parents
• Began releasing music anonymously on YouTube in 2009; stage name derived from a weekend moved to Parkdale
• Co-founded the XO record label in 2011 with Wassim Slaiby, Amir Esmailian and La Mar Taylor

Members

• Solo artist; collaborators include producers Illangelo and Doc McKinney, and creative director La Mar Taylor

Career

• Debut mixtape House of Balloons (2011), followed by Thursday and Echoes of Silence; compiled into Trilogy (2012) after signing with Republic Records
• Studio albums Kiss Land (2013), Beauty Behind the Madness (2015), Starboy (2016), After Hours (2020), Dawn FM (2022), Hurry Up Tomorrow (2025)
• Blinding Lights named the best-performing song in Billboard Hot 100 history; first artist to surpass 100 million monthly listeners on Spotify
• Headlined the Super Bowl LV halftime show (2021); After Hours til Dawn Tour set a record for highest-grossing tour by a male soloist
• Co-created and starred in HBO series The Idol (2023) and the film Hurry Up Tomorrow (2025)
• Named UN World Food Programme goodwill ambassador in 2021

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Generally positive reviews from critics
• Metacritic: average score 65 from 31 reviews, indicating generally favorable reviews
• Billboard (Chris Payne): headphone-friendly sound close to the mixtape trilogy, with added dramatic flair
• Clash (Grant Brydon): praised the scaled-up sonics while keeping the quality of the earlier records
• Spin (Anupa Mistry): a more considered, better-mastered continuation of Echoes of Silence rather than a dramatic change
• AllMusic (Andy Kellman): more personal and more human, drawing fans closer to the artist
• Slant Magazine (Jesse Cataldo): the music does not match the conceptual task, with numbing backdrops
• Pitchfork (Ian Cohen): isolated and singular, but without the innovation of the earlier work
• Los Angeles Times (August Brown): the rollout as a star and storyteller is the most convincing work of art

Reappraisal

• Elite Daily (Adrianne Reece, 2023 feature): more timeless than Starboy and Beauty Behind the Madness
• Described as a gnawing horror movie of an album, with menacing drum patterns and minor synths

Records

• US Billboard 200 debut: number two, with 95,000 copies sold in the first week
• Only 2,000 copies behind Keith Urban's Fuse, which took number one that week
• 273,000 copies sold in the United States as of August 2015
• RIAA gold certification on March 18, 2019, for over 500,000 combined units in the United States
• Entertainment Weekly (Nick Catucci) ranked it fifth best album of 2013

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The title came from a conversation the Weeknd overheard, and the phrase stuck with him.
• The lead single Kiss Land was released May 17, 2013, and its music video came out June 25.
• The album's first week sales of 95,000 copies were just 2,000 short of Keith Urban's Fuse, which took number one that week.
• Live For features Drake, who is a previous collaborator of the Weeknd.
• The single Pretty was pushed as the fifth single with late night performances on Late Show with David Letterman and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
• Wanderlust was released as the sixth single in the United Kingdom on March 31, 2014.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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