Artist: Weekend
Title: Victory
Genre(s): Rock-Pop, Pop, R&B
Length: 3:19
Writer: D.Blue, R.Hamilton, S.Wellington
Producer: LosOscuros
Label: Five Pesky Kids
From The Album: TBC

Victory is a song by British-Irish pop group Weekend. The song was released worldwide on December 17th 2018 and serves as the lead single from their upcoming and as-of-yet untitled third studio album, set to be released in early 2019. It also marks the first release for the group in over three years, following some personal downtime after their Here We Go Again world tour and allowing group member Oscar Ward time off to heal following surgery on his vocal chords in mid 2016. The song showcases a natural progression in the band's sound, retaining the rock-pop, almost stadium rock sound that they are known and loved for while incorporating some smoother, R&B styled beats throughout to make the track less aggressive in sound. "Victory" is a story about not giving up on a lost love and lover, willing to fight through the dark times and emerge victorious in spite of naysayers and the obstacles thrown throughout. Some parents have highlighted concern over some lyrics which suggest a suicide attempt, deeming it "too heavy" for a band that has a huge young audience like Weekend. The song was a "surprise release", dropping on all platforms without prior warning or promotion.

Weekend initially began to work on their third studio album while on the road in 2015 and 2016, during their Here We Go Again world tour. The plan was to release the album in either late 2016 or early 2017 but plans came to a halt when Oscar Ward had to endure vocal chord surgery. With Ward being the lead singer of the group, it put plans on the shelf indefinitely. While Oscar recuperated, the remaining four members of the band would occasionally throw out and work on creative ideas but not venture any further than a rough demo or voice note, hoping that they would have enough material to work on as swiftly as possible when it was safe for Oscar to return to singing. Most of the material, however, was discarded by the time the quintet reunited in the studios to properly work on the project again, citing new life experiences for inspiration behind "bigger" and "better" material. The chorus from "Victory", was one of the only pieces to survive from the 2016 material.

Written by three of the members: Dustyn Blue, Riley Hamilton and Scott Wellington, Victory was in the making for two years. It initially started off as a different song composed by Blue and Wellington. When they returned to the studio in early 2018 for a writing session, Blue, Hamilton and Wellington began to work on a new composition but were failing to find a suitable chorus. Blue then remembered the demo for Victory and played it to his writing partners. They then lifted the section from the old song, reworked some of the melody and pieced together the final version. Many critics instantly praised the song's lyrics for showing growth but a handful were disgruntled at the depiction of a suicide attempt. Ward's verse in particular was critcised especially for the lines; "A splash in the blue, you found it hard to breathe/Resurfaced and awoken with brand new eyes to see" with many believing that it suggests a suicide attempt is what it takes to change someone's mind, if they are lucky enough to survive. Scott Wellington, one of the writers, dismissed this by saying: "The song isn't actually about a suicide attempt. It's just about frustration, wanting to run away and do something extreme to feel alive again and wash away all the negativity that's bogging you down. People are watching and worried but in the end, it's more like a rebirth. It's sort of like after you've had a huge, brilliant cry on a shoulder and you suddenly feel lighter, seeing things with new eyes."

Critical reception for Victory has been mostly positive upon release with many highlighting the lyrical content, natural growth in music and the much welcomed return of the beloved act. Gil Kaufman of Billboard was one to hail the lyrical content, calling it "genius" and "a firm reminder that Weekend are not your typical boy band, always offering something different than the "I'm heartbroken, I'm sad, please be my baby again" tropes of the boy band world". He then went on to praise Dustyn Blue, calling him "a master of the pen" and a "no holds barred pop genius". Mike Nied of Idolator opined that "the song reveals a different side of Weekend". He felt that it was "refreshing to hear them add in some R&B undertones and smoother harmonies". Jesse Willis of Noisey also highlighted and commended the new vocal styling of the group stating; "Rather than the usual chant-like, husky combination of Oscar and Dustyn leading the forefront of the chorus, we are greeted with a much smoother sounding harmony in which Dustyn, Billy and Riley are far more prominent and still manage to pack as much punch as your typical, stadium erupting Weekend chorus".

Jon Blistein said that "the song isn't an immediate blow to the head" when comparing it to their previous work but then went on to state that "Victory instead slowly reveals itself after each listen. The slightly dark lyrics and the more subdued production might be a confusing listen at first but you'll be chanting "standing in our victory!" before the night is out". David Renshaw of The Fader also made similar statements; "It's not an underwhelming release by any means, in fact it's probably their best to date but it's not an "instant bop" that one might expect from a pop giant making a comeback. The song unravels and gently flourishes and showcases its beauty over time." He then went on to dub it the "perfect comeback song" as it is "different enough to stand out from past material but not a far cry away from what makes them so beloved to their legion of fans. Renshaw rounded off the review by branded them "marketing kings" and applauded them for releasing a big, soaring track during the holidays for that coveted Christmas #1 spot".

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Victory

All
Billy
Dustyn
Oscar
Riley
Scott

Perched on the pier where we met
Your feet dangling, sweaty palms on the edge
Wondering if you've got the guts to jump
Or brave the weathers from the clouds above
We messed up, we messed up twice
But I think we deserve another roll of the dice

I've been to war for you, kept on pushing through
I've seen through the darkness into your heart
I know you've been in a war too, keep pushing through
Standing out on the battlefield for you

When you're struggling to find the light
Know that I'll be the saviour, the star to guide
Fled from their words, our failings, ran from the pain
But you can only go so far, it gets colder in the rain
They say that it's only fools who fall in love
Paint me as the biggest clown but I'm not giving up on us

I've been to war for you, kept on pushing through
I've seen through the darkness into you heart
I know you've been in a war too, keep pushing through
Standing out on the battlefield for you

I've ran through the fires and back again
Tread on shattered glass for miles on end
I fight the fight with you to stand in victory
Love doesn't have to be a losing game
Why's it always gotta be us against them?
I'm here with you tonight, let's start a different story
We could be standing in victory, in our victory
It's our victory, this is our victory, ay

You're slipping, so tired and broken down
With the weight of the world, I prayed you wouldn't drown
A splash in the blue, you found it hard to breathe
Resurfaced and awoken with brand new eyes to see
Survived the jump, there's no more time for regrets
Come and wrap in my embrace, 'cause we aren't finished yet

I've been to war for you, kept on pushing through
I've seen through the darkness into your heart
I know you've been in a war too, keep pushing through
Standing out on the battlefield for you

I've ran through the fires and back again
Tread on shattered glass for miles on end
I fight the fight with you to stand in victory
Love doesn't have to be a losing game
Why's it always gotta be us against them?
I'm here with you tonight, let's start a different story
We could be standing in victory, in our victory
It's our victory, this is our victory, ay

I've been to war for you, kept on pushing through
I've seen through the darkness into your heart
I know you've been in a war too, keep pushing through
Standing out on the battlefield for you

I've been to war for you, kept on pushing through
I've seen through the darkness into you heart
I know you've been in a war too, keep pushing through
Standing out on the battlefield for you

I've ran through the fires and back again
Tread on shattered glass for miles on end
I fight the fight with you to stand in victory
Love doesn't have to be a losing game
Why's it always gotta be us against them?
I'm here with you tonight, let's start a different story
We could be standing in victory, in our victory
It's our victory, this is our victory, ay

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