On January 31st, The Weeknd released his final album Hurry Up Tomorrow. It features 22 songs and has a total duration of 1 hour and 24 minutes, marking a grand close to the Weeknd’s discography. The album was highly anticipated, with the album even being delayed multiple times before it finally released. Abel has stated that this will be the final album released under his alias, The Weeknd.
The album kicks off with Wake Me Up, which has already been proclaimed by some fans as one of the best on the album. The song samples Michael Jackson’s Thriller. The Weeknd has always been a clear fan of Michael Jackson’s work, calling Dirty Diana one of his favorite songs in an interview with L.A. Times, and doing a cover on his 2011 mixtape Echoes Of Silence, titled D.D. The song made its live debut during a concert in Sao Paulo, and was quickly loved by fans.
The album opts for some more dramatic production choices, with Cry For Me being a more hard-hitting, fast pace track, the song definitely stands out as one of the best on the album, and creates an ideal atmosphere. The album then has a quick interlude, which references Abel’s 2022 concert, where he had to call off the show due to losing his voice. Some fans in the crowd were heard booing him for this. The transition then leads into the single Sao Paulo which sparked controversy amongst fans, due to it being Brazilian Phonk, however, the song uses such aspects in a good way, and despite a repetitive verse from Anitta, still has solid vocals from The Weeknd, and some unique production choices.
After Sao Paulo ends, the record goes for a calmer approach again after yet another short, but intense interlude. Baptized In Fear and Open Hearts feature amazing singing, as well as heavy synth production. The song Open Hearts features an immersive music video experience only available on the Apple Vision Pro, and was released exclusively on there on November 15th.
Opening Night is a longer interlude, and then continues into Reflections Laughing, which features Travis Scott who decides to use a low pitched voice for his vocals. This fits the track fairly well, with the production switching up a bit for the feature to fit his style. The next track Enjoy The Show features a phenomenal feature from Future, who definitely sang his heart out on the track. It also has incredible production and sampling. The song is without a doubt one of the highlights of the album.
The album then features some mellower tracks such as, Given Up On Me and I Can’t Wait To Get There. Which definitely have a great vibe to them, I Can’t Wait To Get there is a perfect example of this, with The Weeknd having a smooth flow on top of a calming production. Afterwards, the album switches into hip-hop with Timeless. The song features Playboi Carti who does a great job on his feature, and switches between vocal effects, using both old and new style of his vocals, with him and The Weeknd talking about how they are “timeless.” After this, the album goes back to the calmness with Niagara Falls using the same formula as I Can’t Wait To Get There, with its calm, vibey production.
The album then has the song Take Me Back To LA which is a more personal track with The Weeknd singing about how he realized he’s “Better when I’m by myself” and that he wants to be taken back to a time when his “Trophies would still shine.” The album then goes into the more atmospheric Big Sleep which features stunning production. Give Me Mercy doesn’t really seem to fit well with the album, although it is a solid track on the album, it does seem somewhat repetitive with both vocals and production. Drive creates a great vibe, with some great singing on it, although the lyrics aren’t deep, it’s obvious that the song was not written for the lyrics, but rather to have a memorable melody.
For the final feature of the album, The Weeknd collaborates with singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey, who took part in past projects by The Weeknd, such as Stargirl Interlude off of his album Starboy. This was certainly an unexpected surprise for those who were listening when the album was released without listed features. Red Terror has absolutely stunning production, and makes it a personal favorite off the album for me. The singing in this particular song felt very strong, The Weeknd showcases his captivating vocals on the track.
Without a Warning has The Weeknd singing about how “the crowd will scream my name” and that “the crowd will feel my pain.” The song reflects on the fame he’s gotten, and is a perfect track to take place before the final song on the album, which is the title track Hurry Up Tomorrow. This song is by far the best choice he could’ve concluded the album with. He reflects that he is done, and that the character of “The Weeknd” that he created is ending, and talks about the fact that he wants heaven after he dies. After he finally stops singing, the song can be found to perfectly loop back to the first song on his first mixtape House Of Balloons, High For This, ending it right where The Weeknd started.
