Canadian singer Abel Tesfaye, better known as The Weeknd, has been teasing his newest album Hurry Up Tomorrow since September 2024.
The rollout for the album was a little rocky; many people were disappointed by the singles released prior to the album dropping, and fans were getting frustrated by months of meaningless teases that led to no actual information. On top of that, just when the end was in sight, the release was delayed a week due to the LA wildfires. Fans were starting to worry about whether or not it would be worth the years of anticipation.
Well, Hurry Up Tomorrow was released on Jan. 31, 2025, and has received unanimous praise from professional music reviewers and internet communities alike. In its first week, the album sold 450K units, making it the biggest debut for The Weeknd to date. It immediately shot to No. 01 on the Billboard 200, making it his fifth album to do so despite its lengthy 84-minute runtime. Also set to release sometime in 2025 is a feature film sharing the same name as the album; starring The Weeknd, Jenna Ortega, and Barry Keoghan. The trailer was released a week after the album came out.
Tesfaye has announced Hurry Up Tomorrow as his last album. He wants to escape the persona and character of The Weeknd, and he’s sending it off with a bang. With a movie, a world tour, and a massive album, it’s clear that there’s so much work poured into the project. However, with how lengthy the album is, the question you might be asking right now is “Is it actually worth listening to?”
The Highlights
“Wake Me Up (feat. Justice)” is a collaboration I wasn’t expecting, but am very happy about existing. I discovered Justice shortly after Daft Punk broke up, and they helped fill the void they left behind. Their production suits The Weeknd so well that I’m surprised that this is the first time they’ve worked together. This track is an amazing opener, with lyrics dealing with death and existentialism, which are both central themes on the rest of the songs on the album.
“Cry For Me” keeps the energy going, with a track that sounds ripped straight from After Hours. This track highlights the toll that touring has taken on The Weeknd which is clear in the lines “Every time I hit the road, it takes a little piece of me / Kills me slowly”. “Cry For Me” is the first song that introduces the concept of the “death” of The Weeknd, as his lifestyle has been slowly killing him throughout the years of touring.
It’s ironic (and intentional) that the interlude that follows is titled “I Can’t F*cking Sing.” The vocal performance he delivers on “Cry For Me” (and really the whole album) easily proves that isn’t the case. The interlude is inspired by a real event that occurred at one of The Weeknd’s concerts, where in the middle of a song his voice began to crack, and he had to shut the show down. That decision led some people in the audience to boo him off stage, even though he physically couldn’t perform.
“São Paulo (feat. Anitta)” seems to finally be getting the recognition it deserves after the reaction to the song was relatively mixed when it first dropped as a single. I think the bizarre music video was partly to blame for that, but I was happy to see so many people reacting to it the way I did when I first heard it. This track first debuted at his concert in São Paulo, Brazil on Sept. 7, 2024, and was released as a single later in October. Simply put, it’s a great song; it’s The Weeknd’s first time experimenting with Brazilian funk music, and it was executed perfectly.
“Open Hearts” is a song I can see getting a ton of radio play. The transition into this song from “Baptized in Fear” is one of my favourite moments on Hurry Up Tomorrow. I think this song will end up as this album’s “Blinding Lights”—the chorus gets stuck in my head for so long whenever I listen to it.
“Reflections Laughing (feat. Travis Scott, Florence + The Machine)” is a combination of artists I didn’t really expect at all. The pitched-down vocal effect on Travis Scott’s voice is one I’ve never heard him use before, which is impressive considering how much vocal manipulation Scott is known for. The track has a voicemail interlude calling back to the impact The Weeknd’s lifestyle has on him, alluding to a potential relapse back into addiction.
This is a good time to point out the production, most of which is done by Mike Dean. Even if you’ve never heard his name, you’ve definitely heard his work. He’s produced for Drake, Kid Cudi, Beyoncé, Lana Del Rey, Travis Scott, Jay-Z, and the list goes on. Mostly known for his synths, Dean cites Hurry Up Tomorrow as his best work to date, and it’s difficult to disagree with him when songs like this are on here. He mixed and mastered the entire project himself, and had some hand in producing almost all 22 songs.
“The Abyss (feat. Lana Del Rey)” is pretty incredible. For what is the last Weeknd album, it’s nice to see Lana Del Rey show up. The two have worked together previously on multiple songs, with “Stargirl Interlude” and “Lust For Life” being two of them. It’s fitting to have a longtime collaborator Like Del Rey show up, and she kills her feature. This song has The Weeknd struggling with suicidal thoughts, referencing the poem The View From Halfway Down from the show BoJack Horseman as well as the difficulty that comes with saying goodbye to a partner.
“Hurry Up Tomorrow” is as perfect of an ending as you can ask for from an artist as talented as The Weeknd. The song details him reflecting on his career and life, expressing his desire to break away from the unhealthy lifestyle he’s grown accustomed to. “Hurry Up Tomorrow” is the culmination of everything this album—and the two albums that came before it—has been building up to.
While Tesfaye might’ve been afraid of what might happen “tomorrow” as the lyrics on the previous track “Without a Warning” signify, he’s now ready to fully embrace the freedom that his metaphorical death and rebirth would give to him. By shedding the name The Weeknd, he’s able to release all of the baggage that he’s come to associate with that title and live his life as who he really is: Abel Tesfaye.
Final Thoughts
It’s hard to ignore the length of this album. At 22 songs, sporting a nearly hour-and-a-half-long runtime, most artists would struggle to make a project that keeps the listener engaged throughout. As much as I want to say The Weeknd succeeded in doing this, I’m not entirely convinced he has. I’ve only listened to this album three times all the way through in one sitting. I can start at the beginning, hit the middle and return to it later and thoroughly enjoy the back half; the issue is that it really feels like two separate albums, with very distinct energy levels.
The second half, following “Timeless (feat. Playboi Carti),” is much more akin to the classic Weeknd Trilogy, which is comprised of his first three albums. As a result, most of the tracks are R&B-influenced, and much slower when compared to the opening songs. I don’t consider them boring or bad by any means, but on a full album playthrough, they can start to blend together.
With all that said, it’s hard to deny that when this album hits, it hits. The performances, the production and the songwriting all come together on each and every track to create some truly great music. I could have written about a lot more than just the seven tracks I chose to highlight, but I wanted to avoid this review ending up as long as the album itself.
After Hours, Dawn FM and Hurry Up Tomorrow create a trilogy that I think rivals his first and are an incredible way to end a career. While I do expect some deluxe songs to come out at some point, it doesn’t change the fact that this album will be known as the end of The Weeknd’s music (sort of). Tesfaye will be back releasing new music under his real name. The question isn’t if, but when. For now, that’s a question with no answer.
What I do know is that once he does start to tease new music and announces his next album, I’ll be there counting down the days leading up to the release date, thinking to myself hurry up tomorrow.