The Weeknd’s ‘Hurry Up Tomorrow’ is here, and I can’t believe it’s the END 

5 out of 5 stars 

The Weeknd made one thing clear during his farewell album: he is the entertainer of our generation.  

I have been anticipating the third piece of The Weeknd’s closing trilogy since I saw him on the “After Hours ’Til Dawn” tour in 2022. The album has finally come, and I am caught between joy and grief. The new album is incredible, as always, but it comes with saying goodbye to one of my favorite artists.  

The Weeknd (given name Abel Tesfaye) released “Hurry Up Tomorrow” on Jan. 31 through his XO label under UMG Records. The album included “Timeless” and “Saõ Paulo,” singles featuring Playboi Carti and Brazilian pop singer Anitta respectively. Surprise features included Travis Scott, Future and Lana Del Rey.  

“Hurry Up Tomorrow” is the closing act of The Weeknd’s second trilogy of albums, which also includes “After Hours” and “Dawn FM.” He combined his debut three albums into a trilogy, so it’s fitting that he ends his career in the same way.  

“Hurry Up Tomorrow” marks Tesfaye’s retirement of The Weeknd persona. In an interview with Variety, Tesfaye said he feels he has mastered everything there is to do with The Weeknd. Now, it’s time to see what “tomorrow” has in store.  

The first song on “Hurry Up Tomorrow” samples Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” If there has ever been an artist worthy of the Jackson comparisons, it’s The Weeknd, and he knows it. 

“Cry For Me” follows “Wake Me Up” with an intro matching the sound of “D.D.” from the first Trilogy. “D.D.” was his rendition of Jackson’s “Dirty Diana,” another acknowledgment of his place in history.  

“Cry For Me” sounds like Abel Tesfaye-versus-The-Weeknd. The lyrics allude to the two lives Tesfaye has been living over the years. On the second verse, he says, “I disappear / Don’t interfere, the end is near / The crowd’ll scream / I block my ears and stop the cheers / ’Cause the stage took a toll.” The chorus seems to be The Weeknd saying to Tesfaye, “I hope you’ll miss me as much as I’ve missed you.” 

There are several interludes on the album alluding to nightmares The Weeknd has had. He alludes to losing his voice at a concert in “I Can’t F—— Sing” and addiction in “Reflections Laughing.”  

“Take Me Back To LA” nods to “Escape From LA” on “After Hours.” Where “Escape From LA” was The Weeknd’s wish to get out of the false dreamland of Los Angeles, “Take Me Back To LA” is a wish to return to the innocence he felt first arriving, and first leaving Toronto, his hometown. 

I screamed when I heard Lana Del Rey’s angelic voice float into the second half of “The Abyss.” I am so glad we got a return of “Stargirl” before The Weeknd is gone. On this song, he references his desire to leave The Weeknd at his peak, saying, “I tried to be something I’ll never be … Why waste another precious ounce? / I’d rather leave somewhat of a legacy.” 

The Weeknd and Future join in a more up-tempo beat in “Enjoy the Show” for a last rockstar hurrah, and Future works into the song magnificently. The Weeknd says, “I just want to die at my f—— peak” and tells his fans to mourn his loss or shut up and enjoy the show. I love it. 

“Red Terror” tells fans that, even when The Weeknd is gone, fans will always have his memory. On the outro of the song, he says “I have only slipped into the next room … And the old life we lived so fondly together is untouched, unchanged / Whatever we were to each other, that we are still / Call me by the old, familiar name.” 

The Weeknd alludes to the idea that his persona was meant to fill the void of his absent father. To leave behind that pain, he has to leave behind the name. The album ends with a hum any Weeknd fan would recognize as the intro to “High For This,” the first song on “House of Balloons,” showing the cyclical nature of who The Weeknd is. 

I teared up at the sound of “Hurry Up Tomorrow,” The Weeknd’s final goodbye. He is done with the lies he has lived, has nothing left and claims this is the correct ending. Tesfaye wants to let go of The Weeknd so he can live a life worthy of heaven.  

As a Weeknd fan, every song on this album is perfect. Many of his songs touch on the topics of his life in a performative way, but this is the most true-to-self storytelling he has ever put out.  

Everything about this album is stellar: the continuity between “After Hours,” “Dawn FM” and “Hurry Up Tomorrow,” the callbacks to his original “Trilogy” of albums, the Jackson nods, the way The Weeknd can maintain a dystopian, sci-fi sound while making every feature fit perfectly… The Weeknd owns pop, and we are all lucky to have witnessed this era of music.  

Photo courtesy of USA Today.