After hearing that The Weeknd had released another album for the first time in over three years, I immediately opened my Spotify to listen to “Hurry Up Tomorrow” on Jan. 31. Once I hit play to the opening song, “Wake Me Up,” I practically transcended to another plane of existence. The lyrics in the first song “All I have is my legacy” and “I’m all alone when it fades to black,” introduce the album as the most beautifully tragic farewell to Abel Tesfaye’s mysterious persona as “The Weeknd,” which he developed in 2010. After a long waiting period, finally hearing the album made it all worth it. It instantly became one of The Weeknd’s best.
This album can be described with one word: ethereal. Every single song on this album absolutely blows me away; there’s not a single song I dislike. Although reminiscent of his previous albums like “Beauty Behind the Madness,” the album is unique on its own, using a mix of synth-pop and R&B. The album runs at almost 90 minutes with 22 songs. Although it may seem exhausting to listen to an album this long, The Weeknd makes it such a unique experience that you don’t even notice that you’ve been listening for an hour and a half.
Following the opening is the song “Cry For Me,” which is by far my favorite on the album. The mysterious vocals and melancholic tone really made it stand out. The lyrics, “‘Cause I tried with you, saw my life with you / End of time with you, now we’re strangers,” reflect the song’s theme of past toxic relationships. This reflects how as The Weeknd rose to stardom, he had to let go of people. Just like the rest of the album, this song conveys the sacrifices and pain that come with fame.
Haunting melodies mix with even more eerie lyrics as The Weeknd reflects on his story as this persona in the song, “Reflections Laughing.” As he sings “I’m trapped inside a gilded cage,” The Weeknd shows the vulnerability that is present throughout the entire album, exploring a range of emotions from euphoria to isolation that came with his rise to fame.
This album had various features ranging from Travis Scott to Florence and the Machine, and a particular standout track was “The Abyss” featuring Lana Del Rey. It is common for these two artists to collaborate, rooting back to their song “Prisoner” on The Weeknd’s album “Beauty Behind the Madness.” And just like the song that debuted in 2015, “The Abyss” is yet another phenomenal song. The song reflects The Weeknd and his romantic partner as the world falls a part, and how he cherishes time with his partner as it is so precious.
The final song and title track of the album, “Hurry Up Tomorrow,” solidifies the departure of The Weeknd era into a different timeline for Tesfaye. The lyrics “And I hope that I’ll find what I’m looking for / I hope that He’s watching from up above / I’m done with the lies, I’m done with the loss / I hope this confession is enough” reflect the yearning to be free from the fame and rich life that he lived with his music career. As a gospel ballad, the song has a dramatic finale that symbolically plays into his first ever song as The Weeknd, “High for This,” reflecting the rebirth of Tesfaye and how this is the end of The Weeknd.
The album was otherworldly. It says goodbye to The Weeknd in the most hauntingly gracious way and only leaves me more excited to see how Abel Tesfaye will develop his music career beyond leaving behind his persona. If you haven’t put in the time to listen to this yet, you’re missing out.