The Weeknd, 'Echoes of Silence': New Mixtape Dropping Dec. 21

UPDATE: The Weeknd's 'Echoes of Silence' was posted online last night for free download at the-weeknd.com.

Following his Polaris Prize-nomination and the critical acclaim surrounding their digital album/mixtape 'House of Balloons,' Toronto alt-R&B act the Weeknd are rumored to be releasing a new recording Dec. 21 called 'Echoes of Silence.'

According to Exclaim, the new nine-track album was previously slated for release this fall. And technically the fall season concludes early Thursday morning so speculation is, the effort will be out in mere hours.

"It's getting close...EOS...," the group posted on their Facebook account late Tuesday, with images of balloons. Prior postings indicated the album "is on the way" and that it was "almost time" for the final part of "The Balloon Trilogy."


Also the Weeknd -- fronted by Abel Tesfaye -- altered their Twitter profile picture to show the album cover for 'Echoes Of Silence,' which features several red balloons with the nine song titles above them. The balloon theme was also part of 2011's 'House of Balloons' -- which featured a nude woman in a bathtub partially hidden by the balloons -- and the subsequent 'Thursday' mixtape.

The tracklist for 'Echoes of Silence' is as follows: 'Initiation,' 'Chaos,' 'Echoes of Silence,' 'Serenity,' 'Atencion,' 'XO,' 'Sleep Paralysis' and 'Witches and Panthers' before concluding with 'Overdose.'

"House of Balloons, Thursday (Take Care), Echoes of Silence..." the description reads on the band's Twitter page.

Although there's no word as to when a tour behind the album would start, the Weeknd previously indicated via Facebook that they will head out on the road once the trilogy is complete. Watch the Weeknd's 'The Knowing' Video