Canadian singer-songwriter Abel Tesfaye, more commonly known as The Weeknd, released “Hurry Up Tomorrow” on Jan. 31 as the final installment in his “After Hours” trilogy and his sixth and final album under his stage name. I enjoyed listening to the album which was creatively instrumented, which when paired with The Weeknd’s unique falsetto voice, sounded enchanting.
The final version of the album contained multiple surprises. First of all, the album’s release was postponed a week out of respect for the victims of the Los Angeles fires. Additionally, it was previously understood to consist of 10 tracks, but the album contains 22 songs. Many additional artists were featured, including American rapper and singer-songwriter Travis Scott and rock band Florence & The Machine.
The Weeknd’s talent and sound permeated throughout the whole album. He incorporates diverse, unorthodox elements into a coherent, flowing and high-quality album. “Hurry Up Tomorrow” effectively incorporates techno with string instrumentals, hip-hop beats, piano, guitar and even phone noises, along with many other components.
The Weeknd’s final album serves as a reflection on his life and career, containing themes of love, death, rebirth and a rededication to life.
The first track, “Wake Me Up,” is an inspiring encapsulation of the album’s themes. It starts in a minor key with a rueful, nightmarish opening about legacy and memory. Later, it transitions into a subtle happier mode in a major key while maintaining a similar melody and rhythm. I greatly appreciated the more traditional use and modulation of different key signatures in the song.
In the fourth track “São Paulo,” the previously released single featuring Brazilian singer-songwriter Annita, the lyrics are in Portuguese and English. The catchy electric beat was well-layered upon their two distinct voices, demonstrating the intense production creativity that makes this album so entertaining.
“Baptized in Fear” is a darker song with imagery of a person in a bathtub thinking of drowning himself but resolving to live. As the title suggests, the frequently uses religious imagery to communicate how he was “trying to remember everything my preacher said” through his struggles, giving this song a very intimate feeling that was touching as a listener.
The slow song “Niagra Falls” reminisces about lost love, memory and the future. It has an alluring, idyllic sound built on arpeggios that makes it one of my personal favorites from the album.
Previously released single “Timeless,” featuring rapper Playboi Carti, contains a captivating melody carried by The Weeknd’s ethereal voice – something often missing from many rap songs. For me, the melody, harmony and beat worked well, none of them overpowering the other, making it a particularly great track.
In the final and title track “Hurry Up Tomorrow,” The Weeknd focuses more on the personal struggles that formed his style and music. In a poignant section, he sings, “I’ve been trying to fill the void my father left/So no else abandons me,” referencing the broken home he was raised in.
The only tracks I found irksome were the two shortest songs “I Can’t F***ing Sing” and “Until We’re Skin and Bones,” which were 12 and 22 seconds, respectively. Although they were not bad, both of them felt wholly unnecessary due to their brevity. However, neither was overly obstructive to the flow of the album and they did not detract from my opinion of it.
Overall, “Hurry Up Tomorrow” serves as a wondrous album to end a chapter in The Weeknd’s career. It combined the best facets of The Weeknd’s music – his vocals, unique instrumentation and superb production – into one album. Even though he is retiring his stage name, I cannot wait to see what is next for Tesfaye.