OOC: Bit of a bittersweet one for me. As you know how things stand re:Liam, this is looking like my last ever Weekend "single" release.
Of course canonically, the boys themselves don't know that so I can't really claim it is.
Plans might change in the future but as it stands, this is probably their last single. Sad times.
Artist: Weekend
Title: We Made It
Genre(s): Synth Pop, New Wave, Euro Disco
Length: 3:34
Writer(s): D.Blue-Conners, R.Hamilton, B.Khan, O.Ward, S.Wellington
Producer(s): Dustyn Blue-Conners, Riley Hamilton
Label: Five Pesky Kids
From The Album: Current Affairs
INFORMATION"We Made It" is a song recorded by British-Irish boy band Weekend. The track was released on May 21, 2025 through Five Pesky Kids Records and serves as the second single from their forthcoming fifth studio album;
"Current Affairs". The track was initially premiered in a live performance during Weekend's
'One Night Only' show in Wembley back in March, with it being officially announced as their next single release in May.
"We Made It" was written by all five members of the group; Dustyn Blue-Conners, Billy Khan, Riley Hamilton, Oscar Ward, and Scott Wellington. Production of the track was also by members Dustyn and Riley. Blue-Conners also plays and arranged the acoustic guitar within the song. The track was birthed from an idea that Blue-Conners had made a note of on his phone which was "sat there for years". The final mix of the song was completed in November 2024, after the release of the album's leading single;
"Violent Devotion".
"We Made It" is a heavily synthesised pop song with elements of New Wave, Euro Dance, hi-NRG and dance-pop incorporated throughout. The track has a runtime of three minutes and thirty-four seconds. Much like its preceding single,
"We Made It" borrows copiously from musical sounds, trends and styles from the 1980's. Unlike
"Violent Devotion" which boasted a "dark" and "brooding" soundscape however,
"We Made It" is contrastingly "upbeat", "optimistic" and "joyous" in both its sonics and lyrical content. The song is noted for its "exuberant" synthesised keyboard riffs which open up the song's instrumental introduction and continue to loop throughout. An acoustic guitar, played by Dustyn Blue-Conners, runs alongside and cuts through the heavily processed production, adding a "natural" and "breezy" vibe to the synthpop soundscape.
Lyrically,
"We Made It" is a reflective, retrospective piece on Weekend's time within the music industry. Keeping in line with the forthcoming album's theme of maturity and adulthood as most of the band enter their 30's,
"We Made It" sees the group look back over the years and realise the obstacles they've overcame and dreams which they have achieved. They reference the early days of the band when they were just five unknown teenage thrown together, housed in a London bedsit and had the world at their feet. They humorously nod towards early 2010's fashion trends they once adorned, recall the feelings of excitement and endless possibilities when they first signed a record deal, as well as touching upon some of the adversity they encountered across their 14 year journey together. The overarching theme on
"We Made It" however, is their friendship and the strength of it. Throughout the song and within its chorus, they celebrate one another and acknowledge that in spite of all the years together and setbacks endured, they are still a tight unit of friends and show no signs of giving that up whatsoever.
VOCAL ANALYSISOSCAR opens up the song just like on the previous single. His low deep voice bellows and sings with gusto, creating a "soaring" and "dramatic" springboard for the rest of the track, setting the tone for the "big" pop song. Oscar also returns once more in the song's later half, singing part of the bridge. While all five members sing on the first half of the chorus, Oscar (alongside Dustyn) is at the forefront of the arrangement as it is commanded by a "boisterous" and "deep" chant-like delivery.
DUSTYN takes on the pre-choruses of the song, appearing prominently throughout the entirety of the song. Much like Ward, Blue-Conners' naturally low and husky voice booms and commands, excitingly building the song up before it opens into its soaring chorus. He makes great use of his natural vibrato, allowing it to warble as it emphasises the melodrama of the song's sonics. Dustyn and Oscar's deeper tones also heavily come to light in the first half of the chorus. Alongside Riley, Dustyn has the most solo airtime throughout the song.
RILEY can be considered the star of the song, despite only appearing on the second half of the choruses. While not receiving a verse of his own, Hamilton proves to be the group's secret weapon yet again. His unique, glass-shattering falsetto comes into play and holds no bounds as he climbs up the scales and takes the already "huge" chorus into the stratosphere. His extended, impossibly high note is arguably the most memorable part and signature piece of the track. Contrasting with the bombastic vocal stylings elsewhere in the track, Riley's part is the centrepiece and payoff.
BILLY comes in on his own after the song's first chorus, taking on the second verse. Usually known for his silky smooth R&B adjacent tones, Khan switches it up and sings in a much fuller voice. A master at riffs and belts, the compelling and dominating chanting of the verses is no skin off his nose. Instead of gradually building to his impressive bellows, Khan comes out full swing on his vocal take. Tapping into a slightly deeper aspect of his voice, it's a rather standout and unique delivery for Billy in his recording career thus far. He also returns in the bridge of the song, singing the final two lines of the segment.
SCOTT doesn't make his official solo appearance until the song's bridge, singing the first two lines of the section. By this point of the song, the production and vocal deliveries have wound down slightly, sounding more subdued in comparison as the track briefly breaks down. This allows Scott's delicate, soft voice to shine through and glide over the playful, tinkering synthesised keys. Wellington also sings in unison with the other members on the first half of the choruses.
SONG COMMENTARYDUSTYNQuote:"We've written self-referential stuff over the years and nodded towards our journey along the way. With "We Made It", however, that was just positive and joyous. Something that focused on the friendship, the dream, what we the band AND the fans have created and achieved over the last decade and a bit. I had a note in my phone about the possible conception of the song and it was all buzz words, few lines here and there, and to sum it up, at the bottom of the note I had written "we made it". In the face of all the challenges, we did it and we did it together. When I presented the note to the boys, it brought happy tears to my eyes because everyone was coming out with all these stories from back in the day. We truly reminisced and bonded all over again during that writing session. It was so reaffirming and I got real giddy realising that everyone was on the same page, in such a positive mindset and all appreciative of what we've done and where we are now. It was a beautiful trip down memory lane and the song practically wrote itself when we started chatting. I truly think that "We Made It" is Weekend in a nutshell and I'm so proud of that."
OSCARQuote:"First of all, I want to commend Dustyn and Riley for the production on this. It's a truly remarkable track. The beat is so simple yet effective. Obvious yet genius. From the minute those synths start, you can't help but smile and the fact that such feel good lyrics then follow, I dare say that this song is a free mood enhancer. Sonically, I compare this track to reaching the end of the rainbow. You've weathered storms and now the sun is out, you've found your pot of gold and you're basking in all these beautiful colours. It was an outright treat to write this with everyone. Listening back, you can hear the love and the levels of unabashed happiness that were in the room when it was being made. Working on this entire album has been one of the proudest moments of my career and life, and this song in particular is like the cherry on top of it all. I will go on record and state that this is one of our finest works. Absolutely love this one."
RILEYQuote:"On this new album we tackle a lot of personal issues and address the dark side of fame and the industry. We've produced our most serious work this era while simultaneously making some of our brightest and happiest. It's all true, raw emotion and that really shines through on this album. It definitely shows tenfold on "We Made It" in particular. When Dust and I started to produce the track, we wanted to encapsulate the feeling of triumph. That feel-good moment at the end of a classic 80's movie when it all works out in the end. That moment when the clouds break and the sun finally shines through after bucketing it down with rain. I get a real sense of euphoria from this song and you can probably tell from the way I practically break the sound barrier on the chorus, haha! I was just lost in the moment and fully went for it, riding the wave of adrenaline. Made things difficult for myself though because to replicate those notes live, I have to purposely stub my toe on something. Wonderful."
BILLYQuote:"I think "We Made It" sounds like a swansong and I want to reiterate that it's not. There's more to come from us. Though if not, what a f*cking brilliant song to go out on. We've placed it as the closing track on our album because it does have that feeling of the end credits rolling. We've overcome the adversity and can finally exhale. Our time in the industry has been so full-on. We went from 0 to 100 overnight and haven't stopped in about 13/14 years. When we were writing this track, it was like we actually took the time to stop and smell the roses. It was great to reflect and gain perspective on how far we'd come. The overarching feeling of accomplishment and contentment really impacted the writing process. This could've easily been a middle fingers up type track but we tapped into the positives. It was all very lovey and Kumbaya. It was real sweet but you know I can't do that stuff for too long. Eventually I had to switch up all the patting on the backs with a few cheeky pats on the bum."
SCOTTQuote:"I know I say this all the time but this is quite possibly my favourite song we've done. It's just so poignant with its message and sonically, it's just such a joy. It's an absolute blast to sing and it's why we selected it as one of the new songs to showcase on our setlist. Since we're not doing a tour, we couldn't let the opportunity to sing this one live pass us by. It has such a feeling of unity about it as well as that classic, big singalong chorus. It's the perfect type of track to play to a large crowd and the type of song that'd go down a storm at a karaoke night. I really can't wait to see how this official studio version goes down with everyone. When we played it at our show in March, everyone went mad for it! For the fans, it really hits home. They grew up with us and see themselves in this journey with us. This song is for them as much as it is for us. They can also apply it to their own lives because we've all grown, we've all made it. Even the 10 year old kids who loved us when we debuted are not like 23 or something. That's a scary thought but also beautiful to see."
CRITICAL RECEPTIONCritical reception of "We Made It" has been universally positive upon the song's official release, as well as being praised after its live debut at Weekend's London show. Many critics and fans alike highlighted "We Made It" as not only a standout among the new songs showcased from the "Current Affairs" album, but in Weekend's overall discography with many campaigning for the group to service the track as an official single. Violet Hague of
NME said,
"this shimmeringly, hypnotic and melodramatic slice of pop perfection is so much of an instant classic, you find yourself believing it has been imbedded in the zeitgeist alongside ABBA, Elton John and Madonna for the best part of 40 years and not, in fact, a brand new drop for the summer of 2025 ahead." Raymond Clarke of
PopJustice was in attendance at Weekend's One Night Only concert and declared that he had;
"Just heard Weekend perform their best song yet. "We Made It" is going to become their signature tune. Mark my words."Writing for
The New York Times, Jamie Cotton branded the song a
"Dancing-with-tears-in-your-eyes stomper" and lauded Blue-Conners & Hamilton's production, stating;
"the build up of kittenish synthesised keys and breezy guitar strumming is somehow concurrently simplistic yet monstrous in sound and execution, culminating in a body of sheer pop brilliance." Gabriella Carson of
The Independent also gave a similarly glowing review of the track, writing;
"The jonty Euro-synth-disco beats combined with the positive, reassuring lyrics and with what is arguably Weekend's greatest vocal performances all continuously build in sweet harmony to achieve transcendent pop glory."The vocal performance on the track has been praised by several critics with many of them stating that it is Weekend's best delivery yet. Helen Baldwin from
Rolling Stone lauded their vocals, dubbing them the
"crown jewel of the track". Baldwin wrote;
"With the finest penmanship, perfectly-polished production and the catchiest top-line melody you could ever wish for, this'd be a hit by any standard. What truly takes the song from good to great, however, is the might and gusto with which the boys sing. Claire Tulley of
AllMusic specifically highlighted Riley Hamilton's vocal performance on the record, opining;
"Coming into his own as of late, Riley has gone from underdog to Weekend's secret weapon. With his sharp, high voice cutting through either the huskier or softer tones of the others, Hamilton always takes centre stage when his time comes. His unmistakable and jaw-dropping falsetto on "We Made It" is the biggest moment on an already huge song, accentuating the song beyond its already enormous soundscape." Tulley rounded off her review by jokingly claiming;
"Many people will be embarrassing themselves and blowing out their voices for years to come trying to emulate Riley's part at karaoke."In his review for
The Line of Best Fit Fred Nicholls highlighted the nostalgic theme spread across the track and echoed similar sentiments towards the group, stating;
"The boys we all knew, loved and grown up with have done exactly that. With all but Blue-Conners reaching 30, they've done just that - grown. However, "We Made It" is not a curtain call. This is Billy, Dustyn, Oscar, Scott and Riley simply taking a moment to pause and show grace, as if breaking a fourth wall to acknowledge everyone and everything within the canon that is the wild ride of Weekend." He continued his positive review by saying;
"This is not only one of Weekend's finest moments but a shining beacon in pop music and culture itself. The most successful pop band of this generation singing their hearts out, referring to their own lore and doing so over one of the most delicious melodies ever heard. What's not to love?"Frank Driver from
Pitchfork awarded the song their 'Best New Music' title for the week and stated in their review that they believe Weekend have
"reached the apex of their career".
"WE MADE IT"ALL
BILLY
DUSTYN
OSCAR
RILEY
SCOTTCity lights led the way to bigger dreams
Now we roll with the waves on an endless beach
Today's the day we're the youngest we'll ever be
Arms through the sunroof, memories in the backseat
Whoever would have thought it?A little bit black and blue
Oh, but we've done so well, my friend
Few cuts and grazes really don't mean a thing
And if I had the choice, I'd go right round againSo many years trying to catch a breath
Life blossoming while lost on the outer edge
Oceans so deep in a place too shallow
Blinded by lights and moving in the shadows
As time ticks on and bleeds away
It's safe to say the world don't wait
But, hey, look around, it seems like we made it
Breathe easy now, it looks like we made itStealing liquor with sweaty little palms
Putting it all to rights, making impossible plans
World was a giant but we made the stand
Five pesky kids sticking it right to the man
Whoever would have thought it?A little bit black and blue
Oh, but we've done so well, my friend
Few cuts and grazes really don't mean a thing
And if I had the choice, I'd go right round againSo many years trying to catch a breath
Life blossoming while lost on the outer edge
Oceans so deep in a place too shallow
Blinded by lights and moving in the shadows
As time ticks on and bleeds away
It's safe to say the world don't wait
But, hey, look around, it seems like we made it
Breathe easy now, it looks like we made itBeanie hats and sagging jeans
Blow-dried quiffs and teenage dreamsAll the fantasies that we'd conjure up
Toasting to them with our fast food cupsReality can be the biggest thief of joy
Thank God for these delusional little boysA little bit black and blue
Oh, but we've done so well, my friend
Few cuts and grazes really don't mean a thing
And if I had the choice, I'd go right round againSo many years trying to catch a breath
Life blossoming while lost on the outer edge
Oceans so deep in a place too shallow
Blinded by lights and moving in the shadows
As time ticks on and bleeds away
It's safe to say the world don't wait
But, hey, look around, it seems like we made it
Breathe easy now, it looks like we made itSo many years trying to catch a breath
Life blossoming while lost on the outer edge
Oceans so deep in a place too shallow
Blinded by lights and moving in the shadows
As time ticks on and bleeds away
It's safe to say the world don't wait
But, hey, look around, it seems like we made it
Breathe easy now, it looks like we made itCan Be Compared To:
