Abel Tesfaye, widely known as The Weeknd, released his sixth studio album, “Hurry Up Tomorrow”, on January 31. This album marks the final installment of his trilogy following previous albums “After Hours” and “Dawn FM.” “Dawn FM” was released in 2022. Both “After Hours” and “Dawn FM” are described to be a mixture of synth-pop, electropop and R&B. These previous albums were just two out of his total of six studio albums as well as multiple live , compilation albums, and mixtapes. Tesfaye began his career in 2009 when he anonymously released music on YouTube but quickly began gaining recognition on social media and other media outlets for his blend of dark, moody R&B and nameless persona. In 2011 he co-founded the XO label record label releasing three mixtapes. Later In 2012 he signed with Republic Records which became the parent company of XO record label. Shortly after in 2013 he released his debut studio album “Kiss Land,” which would debut at number two on the US BillBoard 200. This would be just the beginning launch of a renowned career for The Weeknd.
Tesfaye is a Ethiopian-Canadian singer-songwriter whose musical genre ranges from R&B and Pop to new wave, synth-pop and electropop with an atmospheric, dark style. Tesfaye follows a dark atmosphere with his songs and albums continuously evolving and alluding to his own life. Through many of his albums he conveys and encapsulates memories, past actions, and thoughts in his songs. Tesfaye does this especially well with his Trilogy of “After Hours,”, “Dawn FM” and the finale “Hurry Up Tomorrow” as it follows a sort loose narrative story following a character experiencing extreme low points, going through dark moments, but then a rebuilding of character as it goes between both albums of “After Hours” and “Dawn FM.” They also serve as reflections of his own life.
In the album “After Hours” Tesfaye portrays aspects of loneliness, heartbreak, overindulges and regrets all piling reaching a point of death until a transition in “Dawn FM” in which growth begins to develop in a point beyond death, a journey to find a light after going through dark times. “Hurry Up Tomorrow” serves as a reflection of his journey and a development of change in life with moving forward to be better, have acceptance and a final farewell to his moniker known as “The Weeknd” and to continue his career as Abel Tesfaye. This is a desire Tesfaye has been looking forward to for quite some time now and in an interview with Variety, Tesfaye explains his transition away from his world-renowned persona: “Everything needs to feel like a challenge. And for me right now, The Weeknd, whatever that is, it’s been mastered. No one’s gonna do the Weeknd better than me, and I’m not gonna do it better than it is right now.”
“Hurry up Tomorrow” features a total of 22 songs with three singles “Timeless,”, “São Paulo” and “Cry For Me.” All of these three songs have received very positive reviews, quickly gaining traction on social media for the cosmic, upbeat melodies and also for the collaborations in the two singles “Timeless” and “São Paulo.” “Timeless” features rapper Playboy Carti and quickly gained significant popularity causing many people to consider the song overhyped, with many saying the song has no story or meaning. The song however, deserves the playtime it has received as when broken down it serves as reflection of the complexity of fame and staying relevant. “Timeless” has catchy, bouncy melodies too as the song perfectly blends in the great characteristics of both Artists. “São Paulo” gives us a similar vibe to “Timeless” being a catchy, party-esque style but embraces a Brazilian funk style with rhythmic pulsing and high building beats. “Cry For Me” is a rhythmic, beat filled song following a mix R&B and trap genre, with strong meaning attached to the song expressing feelings of suffering and emotional pain.
“Hurry Up Tomorrow” has such a seamless flow throughout the tracks being able to move from bursting synths to calmer beats such as the song “Open Hearts” to “Opening Nights.” The beginning of the album truly does not disappoint especially with the beginning tracks such as “Wake Me Up,” “Baptized in Fear” and “Open Hearts” being some highlights bringing more excitement for the rest of the album. The album in total is 84 minutes long and is fully packed. This fullness isn’t always a good thing, as in the second half of the album some songs seem to be there just to pad it out and they slow things down. Even so, the last song featured on the album “Hurry Up Tomorrow” was a perfected outro giving listeners an understandable ending and moving forward to change for the artist.
