Abel Tesfaye — better known as The Weeknd — recently released his sixth studio album “Hurry Up Tomorrow.” Tesfaye has served as a touchstone of the music industry since the 2015 release of his sophomore studio album “Beauty Behind the Madness,” and his now decade-long momentum of great albums has not ceased with his new music.
The album is partially autobiographical, taking inspiration from a pivotal event in Tesfaye’s career: the loss of his voice in 2022. Across the board, even in the tracks that are fast-paced and upbeat, the album feels intimate and personal. Each song provides the listener with a different angle of Tesfaye’s musical perspective.
Calling the album’s opening track, “Wake Me Up,” a strong start is an understatement. The song opens with Tesfaye singing, “All I have is my legacy/I been losing my memory/No afterlife, no other side/I’m all alone when it fades to black,” as a haunting blend of synth sounds and string instruments play in the background. There is something reminiscent of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” in this track — the verses and bridge take on an eerie blend of synth-pop and ornate instrumentation while the chorus assumes a more traditional pop sound.
Tesfaye’s more eerie sound continues into “Cry For Me,” as haunting synths blare throughout the chorus while Tesfaye laments “And I hope you cry for me like I cry for you/Every night for you, take it easy on me baby/‘Cause I tried for you.”
Continuing to incorporate different genres, “Sao Paolo” features Annita in a fast-paced, Brazillian funk song that simultaneously departs from the typical The Weeknd sound while capturing the same feeling of electricity. It’s a song that makes us want to drive 40 miles over the speed limit.
When “Baptized in Fear” came down the track list, we felt we were transported back to Tesfaye’s earlier sound, and this is not a bad thing. A more melancholic R&B sound takes center stage, only for the song to transition beautifully into the upbeat “Open Hearts.” Tesfaye continues to do what he does best with beautiful vocals, sorrowful lyrics and tantalizing synths, as he sings, “It’s never easy falling in love again.”
“Niagara Falls” is enchantingly good, and only heightened by a transition into “Take Me Back To LA,” where the blend of Tesfaye’s vocals and the peaceful synths see your soul ascend to heaven. The melodic mastery only continues post-transition, as Tesfaye cries, “I hate it when I’m by myself,” over another one of the album’s many hypnotic synths.
We get blessed with one final Lana Del Rey feature in “The Abyss,” as Del Rey matches Tesfaye’s vocal intensity in the song’s final verse. Tesfaye pulls no punches, as he immediately follows up with “Red Terror,” which details his mother’s escape from Ethiopia amidst political repression and his grief and feeling that he failed her after all her sacrifice.
Tesfaye continues to explore themes of mortality, grief and repentance in his finale as The Weeknd with “Without a Warning” and “Hurry Up Tomorrow.” The first track captures the cycle of destruction that The Weeknd persona inflicts upon Tesfaye, he sings, “I’m stuck in a cycle, just wanna feel life from the morning/I should’ve been sober, but I can’t afford to be boring,” as Tesfaye acknowledges that there can be no tomorrow for The Weeknd.
However, Tesfaye can find tomorrow as himself, as he achieves in “Hurry Up Tomorrow.” He continues to express grief for failing his mother, as he cries, “But now I’m drownin’ in the same tub where I learned how to swim/With my mother trying to save every ounce of my innocence/I failed her like I failed myself, I’m sorry (Yeah)/Mama, I’m sorry.” In spite of his grief, Tesfaye acknowledges a desire for heaven, change and to rid himself of the pain of The Weeknd, as the story of his longtime persona fades to black.
Overall, we more than recommend “Hurry Up Tomorrow” as a true triumph in Tesfaye’s already incredible discography.
