The Weeknd’s sixth studio album, “Hurry Up Tomorrow,” was released last Friday and took many fans by surprise. This album takes listeners through a dark, reflective journey that marks the end of his career as “The Weeknd.” Fans hope that this will not be his final album, but rather his last one under his stage name.
This 22-track album is the final album in the trilogy including “After Hours” and “Dawn FM” which explores themes of self-reflection, fame and personal turmoil.
The album also contains features with many notable artists such as Travis Scott, Future, Playboi Carti, Lana Del Rey and Anitta.
“Hurry Up Tomorrow,” when listened to in order, flows seamlessly and Mike Dean, one of the main producers on the album, implemented his beats to create a cohesive and immersive experience.
Dean’s signature synth-heavy production adds a cinematic quality, allowing each track to flow effortlessly into the next. The atmospheric instrumentals amplify the album’s themes, whether it’s the eerie, melancholic tones of “The Abyss”, the fun, pulsating energy of “Timeless” or the hauntingly reflective closer, “Hurry Up Tomorrow.”
The album opens with “The Crowd,” setting a moody atmosphere and leaving listeners with a haunting feeling. This song, along with “Enjoy the Show,” reflects on the deep loneliness that comes with fame at The Weeknd’s level of stardom.
Similarly, “The Abyss” with Lana Del Rey explores themes of a fear of loneliness in love and toxic relationships. He sings “Just hold my heartbeat close to you; Remember how it always beats for you; I’m falling at the speed of light” which could show his fear of being abandoned in love after falling so hard.
“Red Terror” and “Baptized in Fear” dive into themes such as regretting a life of being extremely self-indulgent and the highs and lows that come with that lifestyle. “Red Terror” is sung from the perspective of his mother, and he fears he let her down with his controversial lifestyle: “Hush, my child, you’re mine (I know, I know, I know, hey); All my life, I try (Sorry, mama, sorry, mama, woah, woah)”.
In “Baptized in Fear”, he reflects “Trying to remember everything that my preacher said; Tryna right my wrongs, my rеgrets filling up my head; All the timеs I dodged death, this can’t be the way it ends, no,” indicating a struggle with self-reflection.
Before releasing the album, The Weeknd released the singles “Timeless” with Playboi Carti and “São Paolo” with Anitta, which were both big hits, but did not set the tone for the album. To me, these two songs were outliers from the rest due to their more upbeat tone compared to the melancholic manner of the other tracks.
“Timeless” has a more trap beat and is one of my favorite songs of his. It was my obsession when it first came out, and it still has not gotten old for me.
“São Paolo” is a Brazilian funk track that stands out completely from the rest of the album. In general, the song has mixed reviews, but I think it is a fun take from The Weeknd and is very different from the type of music he typically produces.
Some of my, and many other fans’, favorite songs include “Enjoy the Show”, “Open Hearts”, “Take Me Back to LA”, “Cry for Me”, “Niagara Falls”, and “Reflections Laughing” and many echo back to some of his songs from previous albums.
“Enjoy the Show” with Future has The Weeknd’s classic R&B vibe and reminds me of their previous collaboration on “Double Fantasy”.
“Reflections Laughing” brings in the energy of his debut album “Kiss Land,” while Travis Scott’s feature adds a moving intensity, blending their styles seamlessly for a remarkable moment on the album.
“Open Hearts” and “Take Me Back to LA” bring strong “Dawn FM” vibes with 80s and new wave sounds blended into each song.
“Niagara Falls” has a 2000s sound to it and samples the song “Someone To Love” by Jon B. and Babyface released back in 1995 and is one of the more fun songs on the album.
To wrap up the album and signal a shift in perspective, the closing song “Hurry Up Tomorrow” reflects back on past mistakes and there is a sense of longing to change his lifestyle, signaling the end of his era as “The Weeknd” and moving onto his true self, Abel Tesfaye.
The Weeknd is also working on a film with the same name as the album featuring Jenna Ortega, Charli D’Amelio, Barry Keoghan and himself. The film is somewhat a reflection of his life in which a musician faces insomnia and is on the verge of emotional turmoil. The release date is set for May 16, 2025.
The album was overall very well-written, cinematic and an inspiring last production. It was a collection of his past eras and served as a bittersweet farewell, leaving everything on the table for fans to take it all in.