Released on January 31st, 2025 with a smashing 22 tracks, Hurry Up Tomorrow is The Weeknd’s latest full studio album. Debuting in 2013 with full studio album Kiss Land, Abel Tesfaye – better known as The Weeknd – is a Canadian singer-songwriter with a whopping four Grammys under his belt, along with 20 Billboard Music Awards, 6 American Music Awards, and a number of other accolades. Hurry Up Tomorrow contributes to a skilled and well-rounded discography, finding itself peaking at number one on a variety of charts such as US Billboard 200 and US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.
Kicking off the album with a feature with French electronic music duo Justice, “Wake Me Up” starts slow but quickly builds into a fast-paced, synth pop beat complete with instrumentals that makes the listener feel as if they are being completely immersed into the world The Weeknd is building around them. The lyrics, presumably in the point of view of Tesfaye, beg to be woken up from some sort of dream or paralysis. This song introduces the ultimate theme of dreams vs illusions as it appears in the rest of the album, and the discussion of disillusionment from reality.
The second track, “Cry For Me”, is the first single to appear on Hurry Up Tomorrow. “Cry For Me” depicts The Weeknd as a yearning individual who still longs for a past lover who he hopes also longs for him in the same manner. The hard-hitting drums and trap style beat bring a more angry and intense mood to the song, different from the sad mood one would expect after reading the lyrics to the track. Rather than being upset, he is estranged from this person he was once affiliated with, Tesfaye is irritated at the fact he is the only one of the two who has not moved on from the love and vulnerable moments they had shared.
“Cry For Me” fades into the short skit “I Can’t F***ing Sing”. The audio from this skit is pulled directly from a recording of The Weeknd backstage, where he was performing his final concert of the After Hours ’til Dawn Tour (2022) in Inglewood, California and lost his voice during the show.
This interlude transitions into the fourth track: “São Paulo” featuring Brazilian artist Anitta. My personal favorite on the Hurry Up Tomorrow, “São Paulo” was originally released in October of 2024 as a single and appears on this album as the second single. The underlying sensual messages praising his subject sung by The Weeknd and suggestive themes hidden by Brazilian Portuguese sung by Anitta are complimented by a mix of funk beats and sounds that no other producer would even dare put into the same song. Yet, it is pulled off in a manner which makes the listener want to stand up and dance along.
“São Paulo” fades off into “Until We’re Skin & Bones”, an interlude. It continues and fades off the beats from the previous track in the style of electronic dance music. A short 22 seconds but perfectly sets up the 6th track on The Weeknd’s Hurry Up Tomorrow.
“Baptized In Fear” slows down the overall album with mellow beats, although the lyrics differ from the chill atmosphere the song gives off. The track describes anxiety and mental unwellness of The Weeknd in this specific state and how it parallels a feeling of remorse and regret. The lyrics describe a “figure in the corner [Tesfaye] can’t quite see” yet he knows the shadow is staring at him, judging and “laughing” at him for the actions that have led him to this feeling of impending doom. The overwhelming feeling is powerful, although the “voices” in Tesfaye’s head “tell [him] that [he] should carry on”, showing that the dread is only temporary.
“Open Hearts”, the seventh track on the album, has a sound that is recognizable for seasoned fans of The Weeknd with a style reminiscent of his 2020 album After Hours. The memorable repetition of certain lyrics paired with the electro-pop beat in the background pair for a catchy song, the lyrics reflecting on trying to open up and fall in love with someone new after being hurt by someone you once loved in the past. “Open Hearts” further draws on the message evident throughout the album of the struggle of coming to terms with yourself and self-realization.
This track fades into “Opening Night”, a shorter track compared to the longer songs we are used to seeing on this new album at 1 minute and 36 seconds. The track ends with a phone dialing and calling an unknown subject. The track fades and transitions into the next song of the album.
“Reflections Laughing”, featuring Travis Scott and Florence + The Machine, is a slower-paced song and a break from the overall fast pace of Hurry Up Tomorrow. With the nostalgic feeling of the song, the listener also learns of who is on the other side of the phone call from the previous track. It is presumably a past lover of The Weeknd, of whom the rest of the song is reminiscing about. The phone call breaks Tesfaye out of his anxieties that are controlling his mind and helps to ground himself. The slow beat continues even with the appearance of Travis Scott, who is known for his faster-paced rap verses – a change of ideal from what one would usually expect from such a major feature.
“Enjoy The Show” is the 10th track and continues with a slow beat but takes a R&B feel with the instrumental. The style of the song is almost reminiscent of The Weeknd’s older discography, such as tracks off of his 2011 mixtape House of Balloons. This song features Future, and his part of the track introduces a complete beat switch up to a more intense feeling. One aspect The Weeknd is proficient in when it comes to producing tracks is making one song feel like two different songs with the use of lyricism shifts and different instrumentals, and this song is no exception. The story of this song draws on the overall themes the listener has been exposed to so far in Hurry Up Tomorrow; The Weeknd and Future singing about wanting to give up and pass on after losing their significant others who they have looked up to so greatly.
The next track, “Given Up On Me”, stands out to me not just because we hear a new, jazzy piano style of The Weeknd that fades into a classic beat that one would hear on an early album of his, but also because of the lyrics. The previous songs on the album were a cry for help, Tesfaye yearning for someone he once had or yearning for someone new while fighting internal battles. In this song, Tesfaye admits to lying in all the previous songs about wanting forgiveness and claims he can’t be saved in the end, fabricating just to get what he wants for himself in a greedy, lust-filled state. The jazz style from the beginning of the song is completely forgotten as the beat switches again, and the soft piano is brought back toward the end after a chorus of synth and trap beats. This change in instrumental almost brings the air of another perspective, as if The Weeknd is fighting in his head for what he wants or how he feels, questioning himself if he’s lying about wanting forgiveness. “Given Up On Me” is by far the most diverse on Hurry Up Tomorrow when it comes to musicality and production, combining trap and electronic dance music with jazz and soft piano.
“I Can’t Wait To Get There” feels like a more upbeat song, and the background vocals help to elevate the emotion in the lyrics. Although the lyrics themself are not exactly the definition of upbeat compared to the nature of the song itself, they reflect The Weeknd’s journey and how he is looking forward to the point where he can stand back and look at all the work he has done and the progress he has made in the end. For those who are familiar with other artists in the same genre as The Weeknd, the style of this song can be comparable to a Steve Lacy song or a Childish Gambino song, both known for pop-style funk music.
The 13th track, “Timeless”, is the album’s third single and the most popular track on Hurry Up Tomorrow, featuring Playboi Carti and originally released September 27th, 2024. “Timeless” is the most representative track for The Weeknd’s forte and what his sound truly is, a hip-hop track with mildly suggestive lyrics that flaunt fame and wealth. It may be your stereotypical rap song with explicit language and trap feel, but Tesfaye takes it to the next level with a collaboration with the ever-popular Playboi Carti who pairs with his style in a new and exciting way.
“Niagara Falls”, the next track on the album, does not have as intense of a beat or brandish lyrics as “Timeless”, but takes on an approach that has more of a pop radio feel. The Weeknd sings about how even though he should move on from someone who has hurt him, he “swallows [his] pride” and lets them get close to him anyway – even if he shouldn’t.
The ending of the beat switch in “Niagara Falls” marks the fade transition into the next track, “Take Me Back To LA”. The title takes on the entire message of the song, but the lyrics show that it is much deeper than just wanting to go back to the city of Los Angeles. Rather than missing the city in the present state, he misses the time when the city would give him glory and the old experiences. Even if he finds himself in LA, The Weeknd’s different current experiences influence how he feels about the city before and now, showing that he cannot truly go back to the city he once loved because of how much it transformed.
“Big Sleep” is the 16th track on Hurry Up Tomorrow and features Giorgio Moroder. The song starts with almost a robotic synth beat that is unlike anything else heard on the album so far. The beat switches up – a common theme on the entire album – and the listener is introduced to an almost hypnotizing synth sound that is reminiscent of The Weeknd’s older sound on his 2013 debut album Kiss Land. The lyrics are deeper in meaning than they seem, the phrase “big sleep” alluding to death and the feeling that Tesfaye experiences as he believes death is slowly taking him into his state of anxiety and panic.
The pop beat of “Give Me Mercy” accentuates the deep lyricism, The Weeknd becoming so dependent on his subject of a present lover or a lover from the past and holding the figure on a pedestal. Tesfaye pours his blood, sweat, and tears into a relationship that is presumably not returned in the same light, and instead of wanting the same energy back, Tesfaye simply hopes that all he works for and puts in is worth it in the end – even if he makes mistakes or fails.
The 18th track of Hurry Up Tomorrow is called “Drive”, and it feels like a summer song through and through, between the grove of the synth and the feeling of just wanting “to drive”. Investigating the lyrics on a deeper scale, though, reveals that The Weeknd does not want to just go on a drive with the windows down. Tesfaye wants to lift the pressure of being a famous figure off of his shoulders and feel the taste of freedom outside of the household pen name “The Weeknd”. He equates the pressure of being famous to that of suffering in his lyrics, Tesfaye singing about wanting to be a child again because “no child deserves suffering” and if he is young, he does not have to suffer with being known.
“The Abyss” features Lana Del Rey, a teamwork fans have been anticipating since their last collaboration on The Weeknd’s 2016 album Starboy. This album discusses themes of self-realization, figurative death, and how other figures and relationships in The Weeknd’s life affect his mind and wellbeing, and this song only supports this delivery. Tesfaye directly talks to this lover he is putting above everything else, singing that the fact she wanted him too “gave him life”. Lana Del Rey’s feature can be taken as a response to what The Weeknd is singing, Del Rey asking if the things he is saying is a “threat not a promise”. Overall, the song continues with the sensual pop rhythm throughout the track and can be taken as a sign that The Weeknd and this persona he has been building up through the course of Hurry Up Tomorrow is crumbling into “the abyss” as we draw nearer to the end of the album.
“Red Terror” is the 20th track of the album, and the lyrics make it seem as if The Weeknd is speaking to a child of his own. As established, rebirth and birth are major messages on Hurry Up Tomorrow and “Red Terror” is clear indication that birth and growth is a crucial symbolism to how The Weeknd himself has built himself up and how his career developed. With the birth of his alias back in 2011 with a mixtape drop, the hint that Tesfaye is no longer making music as The Weeknd can serve as a death to the alter ego and complete the cycle in full circle.
“Without a Warning” brings back the R&B feel found earlier in the album. This R&B is skillfully paired with electronic dance beats and sounds, comparable to the classic sound found in many of Tesfaye’s songs. The lyrics of the track suggest that even though it might be time to let The Weeknd as a name come to rest, he will not be forgotten and he will be remembered by that very name for years to come.
“Hurry Up Tomorrow” is the final track of The Weeknd’s 2025 album Hurry Up Tomorrow. The slower pace is enough to get the listener emotional as Tesfaye talks about accepting the fact that it may be time to kill “The Weeknd” and put an end to the story he has built up with his albums. As “Red Terror” talked about when The Weeknd was birthed in a metaphorical sense with his music and the cycle as a whole, the end of “Hurry Up Tomorrow” ends with the same subtle sound found at the beginning of “High For This” from The Weeknd’s 2011 mixtape House Of Balloons. This may seem unimportant or coincidental as “High For This” is from a completely different album entirely, but it is the first song to be released from Tesfaye. The final song from The Weeknd’s latest album loops into the very first track off of The Weeknd’s first mixtape and introduction into the music industry – completing the cycle he hints at throughout the album itself.
Hurry Up Tomorrow is rumored to be The Weeknd’s final album under this alias and a finale to the trilogy of albums the release is grouped with (After Hours and Dawn FM). Whether Tesfaye will continue to make music under the pen name of The Weeknd or make the shift to create music under his real name is unknown for now, but Hurry Up Tomorrow certainly marks a major shift in The Weeknd’s musical career regardless of the path he chooses to take.
Sources:
The Weeknd Lyrics, Songs, and Albums | Genius
The Weeknd – Hurry Up Tomorrow Lyrics and Tracklist | Genius
