As the weekend began on Friday, The Weeknd came to a close.
“Hurry Up Tomorrow” is the sixth studio album from Abel Tesfaye, known professionally as The Weeknd. The album serves not only as a conclusion to the trilogy of his three most recent projects, but according to him, it will also be his last release under his stage name.
It’s impossible to discuss “Hurry Up Tomorrow” without the context of his entire discography. The two previous albums in the trilogy, “After Hours” and “Dawn FM,” were some of his most critically acclaimed records to date, featuring some of the most popular songs of the 2020s. Needless to say, “Hurry Up Tomorrow” had a lot to live up to.
Thankfully, it not only meets its expectations, but it also exceeds them.
“Hurry Up Tomorrow” blends the palette of its two predecessors. While “After Hours” and “Dawn FM” made use of a synth-heavy, 1980s-style approach to production, they did it in different ways.
“After Hours” featured large, floating soundscapes with plenty of open space, while “Dawn FM” was highlighted by tight, percussion-driven instrumentals with every space filled. “Hurry Up Tomorrow” borrows the massive, cinematic beats of “After Hours,” while making sure every inch of the mix is filled with unique sounds like on “Dawn FM.”
“Hurry Up Tomorrow” is, in a word, huge. Not just in sound either. The record is 22 tracks long. But nowhere is this huge sound more apparent than on the opening run of tracks. “Wake Me Up” opens the record with a subdued instrumental before launching into a pounding instrumental, driven by a sample of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.”
Nothing shows more confidence that your album will be incredible than starting with an interpolation of one of the most iconic pop songs of all time.
The cinematic nature of the record continues, as “Wake Me Up” transitions directly into “Cry For Me,” another massive track that employs low synths and enormous drums. Meanwhile, The Weeknd levitates across the track with a melody that walks up and down a series of notes, providing one of the catchiest choruses of the album.
Following the initial tracks, the record mellows out. “Baptized In Fear” trades the massive synths for traditional 808s, as The Weeknd drives the more stripped back sound with a soaring melody that echoes across the chorus. “Opening Night” brings us back to a more open sound, with The Weeknd singing very low in the mix.
“Reflections Laughing” makes use of an acoustic guitar as the focus of the instrumental, delivering a brilliant contrast with The Weeknd’s operatic vocals on the chorus. Houston rapper Travis Scott takes over the back half, with pitched down singing and a switch to a more traditional hip-hop beat.
Tracks like “Big Sleep,” “Red Terror” and “Give Me Mercy” see a return to massive synth production. “The Abyss” opens on a glittering piano riff before swinging into a larger instrumental, complete with pulsing synths and pounding drums.
“Hurry Up Tomorrow” serves as a farewell to the persona of The Weeknd. Throughout the album, he wrestles with his desire to leave the persona behind, while still reminiscing on the good times. Tracks like “Timeless,” “Take Me Back To LA” and “São Paolo” showcase Abel still clinging on to The Weeknd, remembering the places and times it felt most fulfilling.
But songs like “Baptized In Fear,” “Reflections Laughing” and “Big Sleep” display just how damaging the character has been to Abel’s well-being. “Wake Me Up” and “I Can’t Wait To Get There” reveal his desperation in trying to escape.
Finally, the closing song and title track, “Hurry Up Tomorrow,” sees Abel finally leaving the character behind, expressing his regrets for what he’s done as the character. He’s effectively covering all his bases, making sure everything will be okay without him, before retiring the character for good. Tomorrow is here. It’s time to say goodbye.
“Hurry Up Tomorrow” is a perfect conclusion to a persona that has delivered some of the most influential, recognizable and important songs of the last fifteen years. From the dark, alternative R&B focus of his early career, to the glamorous synth-pop that has driven his last few albums, The Weeknd has been a staple of popular music for over a decade.
If the ride had to end, it’s hard to imagine a better finish than “Hurry Up Tomorrow.”
