On January 31, 2025, the very much anticipated album “Hurry Up Tomorrow” was released to audiences. The last studio release from The Weeknd came in 2022, so fans and critics alike were intrigued to hear of a new project. The album was initially slated for a January 24 release, but the ongoing LA Wildfires prompted The Weeknd to postpone his album release and to cancel the original concert dates for his accompanying tour. Regardless, the album was released and was generally well-received by audiences.
“‘Hurry Up Tomorrow’ is by far my favorite album out of The Weeknd’s final trilogy,” Said Prithvi Madhankumar. Madhankumar has been following The Weeknd as a fan for many years.
“Overall,” says Madhankumar, “I’d give it a decent 9/10.”
The album’s release, beyond its contents, is significant because of what it means for Abel Tesfaye’s career. According to the artist, “Hurry Up Tomorrow” is meant to be the closure to a 3 album trilogy (2020’s “After Hours” and 2022’s “Dawn FM”), as well as the last album he released under the name The Weeknd. The album is also to be followed by a feature film that shares the same name, a psychological thriller directed by Trey Edward Shults. So far confirmed cast members include Tesfaye himself, as well as Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan.
Madhankumar offered his thoughts and ideas for the progression of the Weeknd’s larger story and mythos, “Completing his trilogy after taking us through hell (‘After Hours’), purgatory (‘Dawn FM’), and now heaven.”
There are varying musical styles and sounds present throughout the one-and-a-half-hour run time of “Hurry Up Tomorrow.” As Dani Blum of Pitchfork.com describes it, “The Weeknd is not a subtle experience.”
While The Weeknd’s classic Techno-R&B style is the main theme of the album, certain songs contain a production style closer to Trap and EDM. “Cry for Me” and “São Paulo” carry a stronger percussion element, and the synthesizer use is more reminiscent to club classics than the R&B sounds from The Weeknd’s previous albums. Other songs, such as “Wake Me Up” and “Niagara Falls” follow more closely to the synth-based R&B style that The Weeknd is known for. Overall, several elements of electronic music are prevalent throughout the entire album, and bigger bass percussion helps to fill the songs and give them energy.
Lyricism has always been an area of strength for The Weeknd, and “Hurry Up Tomorrow” is really no exception. The album seems to focus on themes of self doubt, fear, and longing for a second chance. “Cry for Me” features The Weeknd singing to an ex, hoping that they may feel the same loss for him that he feels for them. “Take Me Back to LA” expresses The Weeknd’s desire to go back and change the events of his life, to return to the city where he felt at home. The album’s closer, “Hurry Up Tomorrow” is The Weeknd reflecting on his misdeeds and shortcomings, and finally learning to take responsibility and to stop running from his own fate.
Despite what some may say, or even what this review suggests, the album is not perfect. While interesting for the album’s story, certain transitions lower the replay value of certain tracks. Some argue that the same style and themes being used for all albums in the trilogy shows a lack of creativity on The Weeknd’s part.
Considering the career that The Weeknd has had, “Hurry Up Tomorrow” is about on par with the quality of his previous works. Although the album doesn’t break much new ground, it is entertaining enough to be a suitable conclusion to the artist known as The Weeknd. What will likely determine the importance and praise given to “Hurry Up Tomorrow” is the film that follows it, and the next musical project, whatever it may be, that we get from Abel Tesfaye.
