Hurry up, and listen to The Weeknd's brand-new album

Ever since the 2020s decade began, it seems that The Weeknd has been an escapable name in popular culture. Debuting in 2011 with his critically acclaimed mixtape, “House of Balloons,” The Weeknd was quick to turn the heads of music fans everywhere. The dark, moody, and sensual vibe of his early mixtapes signaled a new beginning for the R&B genre. The Weeknd went on to release two more mixtapes before his debut full-length album, “Kiss Land,” which showed early signs of what was to become The Weeknd’s signature 80’s synthpop sound. It wasn’t until 2017’s “Starboy,” where The Weeknd became a full-on pop sensation, while still remaining to appeal to his R&B roots. In 2020, Abel released his critically acclaimed masterpiece, “After Hours,” which contained smash hits like “Blinding Lights,” and “Save Your Tears.” This is an album that is my personal favorite. I distinctly remember pressing play on track one “Alone Again” and watching the world shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It will always be an album that transports me back to such a crazy time. Following this record, “Dawn FM” was released less than two years later and is a very close contender to its predecessor. “Dawn FM” contains some of Abel’s wackiest and groovest dance tracks yet. Songs like “Gasoline,” “Out Of Time,” and “Less Than Zero,” are career highlights. So this leaves his latest release, “Hurry Up Tomorrow” not only the conclusion to “The Weeknd” persona, but also the finale of the ongoing trilogy Abel has going. So this leaves his latest release, “Hurry Up Tomorrow.” Will it stand up to the rest of the trilogy, and is it an appropriate conclusion to the persona known as “The Weeknd?”

Over the years, Abel has proven himself to be more than any other ordinary pop artist. He is a visionary. The “After Hours” album rollout was met with his signature red suit and black gloves, as well as a beat-up face. The “Dawn FM” era was met with dark music videos as well as an aged Abel. Now, if I were to sum up the rollout for “Hurry Up Tomorrow” in one word it would be messy. Comparing this rollout to the rest of the trilogy, it did not seem to be as thought out and meticulous. Abel announced the name of the album as well as the cover back in September of last year. All along with this came a slew of singles, one of them being “Dancing In The Flames,” which did not land on the final version of the album. The next single, “Timeless," features Playboi Carti, which I thought was a very playful and boastful collaboration between the two, but still seemed somewhat meaningless. The last single to be released was “Saõ Paulo” which sees Abel experimenting with a Brazilian dance beat with a feature from Anitta. I continued to be baffled by the rollout and single choice for this album, wondering if any of them would land on the actual album. With each single being a different genre, I really did not know what to expect with “Hurry Up Tomorrow.” I could only hope that the album itself was more cohesive. Well, I am happy to report that “Hurry Up Tomorrow” is in fact an incredible and fitting conclusion to the trilogy.

“Opening Night” is a short and dreamy interlude that leads us into “Reflections Laughing” with Florence + The Machine as well as Travis Scott. I am quite torn on this track because there are elements that I do enjoy, like Abel’s performance as well as the melody, however, the track is split by a voice message recording performed by Florence Welch of Florence + The Machine. While the recording does add to the dazed and faded atmosphere of the song I do think it takes away from the overall replay value. I also am not completely sold on Travis Scott’s verse on the backend of the track. I think it is unique that they decided to pitch his vocals down, but overall, I think he has better features. Moving along, “Enjoy The Show” is another track where I am split on. I do enjoy the old-school Weeknd-era vibes this track gives, but again, I am not sold on the feature from Future. Like the last track, this song also spans longer than five minutes, and I do not know if those five minutes are captivating enough. “Given Up On Me” is the strongest song of this middle patch. The beat is captivating and Abel vocally sounds amazing again. There is also an interesting beat switch in the middle of the track and Abel slows things down over a piano sample. 

The record begins to gain traction again with “I Can’t Wait To Get There” which is a vibey R&B moment that is again a remnant of the early eras of The Weeknd. The sample is incredibly infectious and Abel again vocally kills it. From there is the big single, “Timeless,” which definitely was a grower for me. Lyrically, it is not one of the strongest on the album, but I think the playful nature as well as the fantastic beat make for a very rewarding listen. Playboi Carti also delivers one of his best features in a long time on the track as well. The next two tracks stand out on the record. Both “Niagera Falls” and “Take Me Back To LA” create such a beautiful nocturnal atmosphere that is so easy for the listener to fall into. Both songs are highlights within the tracklist, but are met with my least favorite song, “Big Sleep.” I think the pacing of this track is the most awkward out of any on the record. While it does contain cinematic synth passages, there are other songs in this giant album that do it better. 

Fortunately, this 22-song album finishes strong. Both “Give Me Mercy” and “Drive” are the biggest sleeper hits on the entire album. “Give Me Mercy” is possibly the popiest song on the record, with its catchy chorus and meaningful lyricism, it makes for a great pop hit. “Drive” is not as poppy, but, the nocturnal vibes return. This song is named appropriately as it really just makes me want to roll the windows down and drive. “The Abyss” is another heavy and epic synth ballad. There are vocal contributions from the one and only Lana Del Rey on this track. I have to say, I do wish I had liked this song more, given that it is two of my favorite artists on the same track, because, while Del Rey’s contributions are much appreciated, they are brief. But overall, I enjoy the dramatic energy these two have on the track. Track 20, “Red Terror” is one of the more personal tracks on the album where Abel delves into his relationship with his mother as well as his feelings about becoming a father sometime in the future. Again, Abel’s delivery and choice of production are immersive, and this continues in the last two tracks of the album. “Without a Warning” is an anthemic and passionate song about Abel’s relationship with the legendary pop star he is. He sings, “The crowd is screaming my name” and follows it quickly up with “The crowd will feel my pain.” The track’s outro is emotional and dark, similar to the outro of “Faith” featured on 2020’s “After Hours.” The album’s title track is the big finale to this monstrous trilogy conclusion. I have to say, Abel’s vocal performance as well as his writing are possible at his very best on this last song. The pure passion in his voice is enough to evoke emotion in the listener, but pairing that with Abel’s fatalistic lyrics, it truly is one emotional conclusion to the album and “The Weeknd” himself.