For those of you that followed The Weeknd’s rise over 2011, it should come as no surprise that this video is fairly grandiose – at least in terms of concept, imagery, and length.

That’s not a reflection on his music – which can be incredibly lush and understated, or his character – which comes across as enigmatic and shy. Despite his increasing popularity, I think it’s got everything to do with his attitude towards his art. From the beginning, Abel Tesfaye has seemed like an artist with a vision. An artist who wants to do things his own way. Maybe this is him doing just that.

There aren’t many artists this young that would release a video close to 8 minutes long, with so much convoluted and abstract imagery. It’s special. It’s intriguing. And it’s entertaining.

The video is for “The Knowing”, which closes his debut mixtape House of Balloons.

Check it out below – and don’t forget that you can download his trilogy of mixtapes for free.