The Weeknd’s sixth, and apparently final, studio album Hurry Up Tomorrow finally arrived. After a delay because of the Los Angeles wildfires, Abel Tesfaye may have finally sent off his alter ego. It is a brutally bleak album that gets darker with every listen. It’s hidden by glossy beats and that silky-smooth voice, but a closer examination of the lyrics will force listeners to stop dancing at least for a moment. The Weeknd has always excelled at that, but he’s in rare form this time perhaps for the final time.
The Weeknd Drops Grammy Contender Hurry Up Tomorrow
Don’t be surprised if Hurry Up Tomorrow ends up as a Grammy nominee next year. The 2025 submissions are all closed and the competition right now is scarce, but if I had to guess, it will be up for a lot of awards next year. He’s had plenty of nominations and has four Grammys to his name now, and that could go up next spring. If this is the end of The Weeknd, which I’m still skeptical of, what a way to go out.
Just looking at the track titles showcases the sheer despondency he is writing with this time. “Cry For Me”, “Baptized in Fear”, “Given Up On Me”, “Big Sleep”, “The Abyss”, and “Without a Warning” all paint a bleak picture without even listening to the songs. Take one dive into any of them with ears ready to hear what he’s saying and you might have to pause.
On Enjoy The Show”, he sings “I just wanna die when I’m at my f*****g peak … And when the curtain calls, I hope you mourn / And if you don’t, I hope you enjoy the f*****g’ show.” The entire album seems to conceptually be about death, which tracks with the final send-off for The Weeknd.
Looking Back from the End
It is a beautiful reflection on what has been a tremendous career. No one has achieved the streaming numbers quite like he has except maybe Drake and Taylor Swift. He is probably going to add a few billion-stream tracks to his catalog in a little while from this album. He says this is the end, and it certainly feels like it. Familiar refrains from his career, such as the fame he’s built, are back, but they are here in a much more reflective tone. It’s looking back on these issues rather than experiencing them. Metaphorically, it’s because the protagonist who’s experienced them is mere moments from death.
This is not a theme that’s new to The Weeknd’s catalog. He’s always been pretty morose, and his lyrics have always been a little darker than the beat and vibe of the song would indicate. Unfortunately, that doesn’t help Hurry Up Tomorrow stand out from his overarching catalog. I think several songs could be put on other albums seamlessly.
Of course, this is part of a trilogy that includes After Hours and Dawn FM, and tonally, they all fit. They may run together in the future, especially this album and 2020’s After Hours, and that is unfortunate, but it does speak to the cohesion of three separate projects. On an individual scale, that’s disappointing, but it’s much more impressive on a macro level. He planned it out and did it well.
Tesfaye is at his best with the creativity in this album. He’s no stranger to beat switches, but he uses them frequently in this album. He also isn’t unfamiliar with samples, and there are some truly inspired ones present in this album. In some cases, it plays like a person who forgot their life was ending. The first half of “Given Up On Me” plays like an upbeat, much more positive song. Of course, it’s not, but it sounds like it. Halfway through the song, The Weeknd changes to a piano tune and sings about how things aren’t good for him. It’s as if he was suddenly reminded of the pain and agony he’s in.
Conclusion
This is perhaps The Weeknd’s most cinematic album, and that’s not just because he has a movie coming out this summer that stars Barry Keoghan, himself, and Jenna Ortega based on the concept of Hurry Up Tomorrow. It’s sweeping, grand, and surprisingly sad. Features on the tracks, most of which were surprises, include Playboi Carti, Lana Del Rey, Future, Travis Scott, Florence + The Machine, and Anitta.
