On February 13, 2020, The Weeknd announced the title of the parent album of the same name as After Hours, following the release of the commercially successful singles "Heartless" and "Blinding Lights". Five days later on February 18, he announced the release date of the promotional single "After Hours" and then revealed the cover art of its parent album. Upon the release of "After Hours" on February 19, 2020, the release date of its parent album was also revealed.
Composition and lyrics
"After Hours" is a "dark, swirling" and "ominous" electro and house composition. According to Sheldon Pearce of Pitchfork, the track "opens with his old signature style - falsetto, echoes, and recurrent tones - until suddenly it erupts into dance production". The lyrics of the song discuss The Weeknd's desire to have children and his wish to get back with an ex-girlfriend. It also references the on-and-off relationship that Tesfaye has with model Bella Hadid. Throughout the first part of the song, Tesfaye sings about missing his ex and his desire for them to reconcile. In the second half of the song, he then proceeds to sing about the relationship's end being his fault and that if his former lover were to return to him, that he would not disappoint them again.
Critical reception
"After Hours" received critical acclaim, with critics favorably comparing its sound to The Weeknd's early Trilogy material. Fan reaction was also favorable. In a weekly round up review, the staff from the musicnews websiteBrooklynVegan, described the song as being a "four-on-the-floor banger." Shaad D'Souza of The FADER placed the song on his list of "The 20 best pop songs right now", stating "Abel Tesfaye takes a dip into Trilogy territory with this dank and depressive sex fantasy. I love it!"
Commercial performance
"After Hours" entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 77 on the issue dated February 29, 2020, after two days of tracking for the promotional single. The following week it climbed 57 spots up to number 20 on the chart. On the Rolling StoneTop 100 Songs chart, the song debuted at number 43 on the week ending on February 20, 2020. It later rose to number five on the chart, the following week, on the tracking period ending on February 27, 2020. In the singer's native country of Canada, "After Hours" reached number 14 on the Canadian Hot 100. In the United Kingdom, the song reached number 20, becoming The Weeknd's 19th top 40 hit in the nation.
