Abel Tesfaye, more commonly known as The Weeknd, released his sixth studio album, “Hurry Up Tomorrow,” Friday. Following his well-received 2022 album “Dawn FM” and two tantalizing singles released toward the end of last year, “São Paulo” and “Timeless,” this album was highly anticipated by The Weeknd fans and R&B fans in general. What they got is an undoubtedly smooth, groovy and honest experience — even if the movie-length runtime bogs down the experience.
The Weeknd has become one of the most popular R&B artists alive, with hits like “Can’t Feel My Face,” “Starboy” and “Blinding Lights,” all reaching No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100. “Hurry Up Tomorrow” completes his most recent trilogy of albums, being the longest of the three coming in at 22 tracks and 84 minutes long.
The peaks of this album are undeniably high, with moments that are so emotionally resonant in their lyrics and production that it is impossible not to feel like you are experiencing everything alongside The Weeknd, a sign of great R&B. The record touches on common themes with his other works including self-doubt, fame, isolation and loss, supported by lyrics on nearly every track that are well-crafted, accessible and emotionally consistent with the music.
As he has done many times before, Tesfaye has crafted a musical experience that makes you want to hit the dance floor while simultaneously striking an emotional core that most artists struggle to reach.
This dichotomy permeates every second of this record, and is particularly potent in the expert production by Tesfaye, Mike Dean and other talented contributors. The tracks explore the extent of the R&B and pop soundscape, ranging from synths and reverbed vocals that fill the space, along with simpler, more intimate sounds. Sometimes he even swerves between both in the same song, as seen in tracks like “Wake Me Up,” which opens the album with dramatic bass synths before introducing a lighter funk beat about halfway in.
One of the best examples of the flawless production on this album comes from track nine, “Reflections Laughing,” which starts with just guitar and The Weeknd’s vocals. After a while, other elements start filtering in subtly, but the song remains simple, allowing the listener to focus on The Weeknd’s introspective lyrics where he sees himself in relation to the people he cares about.
The most impactful moment of this song comes in the middle, when a phone rings and instrumentals fade to some quiet background synths. The Weeknd can be heard drinking, smoking and sniffling, while a woman talks to him on the phone, expressing her concern for him. While it is not stated who this woman is to him, it is clearly someone who cares for him, who is concerned about his dangerous habits and who he has come to rely on for his own self-preservation.
As she continues to talk, her voice is slowly pitched down, making her sound more distorted, like a dream, while also meshing perfectly with the Travis Scott feature that comes in the second half of the song.
It is incredible that Tesfaye and Dean managed to craft a variety of sounds with a track list that runs as long as it does without feeling repetitive. This is aided in no small part by the fact that the album feels like one continuous track with a series of peaks and valleys. As the intensity of emotions gradually rises and falls throughout the songs, listeners are not hit with jarring juxtapositions, but a continuous listening experience that glides between tracks with grace and purpose.
Arguably the best transition on the album comes in between “Baptized In Fear” and “Open Hearts,” two songs with distinct grooves that would ordinarily be difficult to mesh. As “Baptized In Fear” nears the end of its last chorus, the fast, pumping beat of “Open Hearts” builds in the background. In the moment the songs change, the layers of production from both tracks are interwoven, making for one of the most memorable and impactful moments on the album.
Some tracks serve purely as transitions or palette cleansers themselves, such as “I Can’t F–king Sing” or “Until We’re Skin & Bones,” demonstrating The Weeknd’s desire to create a project that is enjoyable to listen to as an LP while still having powerful standalone hits.
Unfortunately, at points, the album can feel almost self-indulgent with this desire, treating its length like a talking point. In the grand scheme of the album, the sheer quantity of music slows the pacing of the record and results in a final product that feels like it could have had a third of its content shaved.
The album has an abundance of slow songs, over-saturating the tracklist. “Enjoy The Show” is a prime example, being largely static and including an underwhelming feature from Future. Not a bad song on its own, but in the sea of slow songs with better grooves and performances on this album, it feels unnecessary.
That being said, the length of the record does not detract from the execution of its themes. There is a feeling of growth and progress in this record that is propelled by its production and lyrics. The hopeful highs of tracks like “I Can’t Wait To Get There” and “Timeless,” reflect on his progress with lyrics like, “High school dropout, chillin' with academics, now I can finish a sentence, now I’m articulate, baby.”
Yet, these tracks contrast beautifully with the depressing lows of “Given Up On Me” and “Reflections Laughing,” tackling his darkest moments, where he says, “It’s too late to save me.” Tracks like “Open Hearts” give a mix of the two, with The Weeknd taking a moment to reflect on what he is singing about from a more external point of view.
He questions his ability to fall in love, asking “Where do I start when I open my heart?” and stating “It’s never easy falling in love again.” He seems acutely aware of his unhealthy habits on this track, singing about how he’s “been low,” and how he “covers [his] scars.” It is a remarkably honest and reflective song from the artist, who often seems lost in his own emotions.
After embarking on this introspective journey, the record ends with a feeling of hope, or at least determination, as The Weeknd declares he wants to move on from his painful past in the final and title track, “Hurry Up Tomorrow.” The song’s ending marks one of the most notable yet ambiguous transitions from The Weeknd to date, as it shifts into “High For This,” the opening track of his first mixtape, “House of Balloons.”
This suggests that Tesfaye — or at least The Weeknd as a character — wants to break the seeming loop of drug-usage, self-loathing and toxicity that have long defined his persona. The transition cuts off between songs and the synth sound is different enough that it is left open to interpretation, yet fans have pointed out that the similarities are strikingly similar.
From start to finish, “Hurry Up Tomorrow” is a fantastically enjoyable record. Each song stands on its own, even if the number of tracks strays into bloated territory. Despite the pacing issues, the interplay between writing and production on this album is nothing short of masterful, and it will no doubt stand with the rest of The Weeknd’s catalogue as some of the best modern R&B out there.
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