5.0 out of 5.0 stars
When The Weeknd released his fourth studio album “After Hours” in the spring of 2020, he set off what would become his most ambitious project yet. What we know now is that “After Hours” was just the introduction for the story that is perfectly capped off by his new 22-track album “Hurry Up Tomorrow,” released Jan. 31.
The opening track, “Wake Me Up,”starts with a haunting first verse with faint beats in the background. The Weeknd’s soft vocals stretch the lyrics and convey a vibe of uncertainty and despair, presumably after coming out of his intoxicated state seen in “After Hours” and “Dawn FM.” The lyrics “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,” in the first verse evokes the mental state The Weeknd is in, certain that there is nothing for him after the fast life he is living. He references recurring themes of time slipping away seen in the songs “Blinding Lights” and “Out of Time” in “After Hours” and “Dawn FM,” respectively, with the lyric “And I can’t find the horizon (horizon) / I’m running out of time (time).”
“Wake Me Up” seamlessly transitions into the next track, “Cry For Me.” These transitions are incorporated throughout the entire album, making each song blend into the other and perfectly connecting the story of redemption that The Weeknd wants to tell. “Cry For Me” kicks off with a startling and loud beat that is interrupted and joined by a more electronic dance beat that accompanies The Weeknd’s first vocals. The song brings out themes of lying, suffering and death. In the chorus, The Weeknd sings “Every night for you, I’ve been living with this lie / Now I can’t hide the truth, I can’t hide the truth.” This calls back to “After Hours,” where he sings about lying being a main cause of his late-night suffering.
“Baptized In Fear” continues The Weeknd’s descent into past trauma. The lyrics allude to The Weeknd being back at the brink of death, singing about trying to make up for what he has done before it all finally comes crashing down. He sings in the first verse “Can’t breathe for air, can’t breathe / Trying to remember everything my preacher said / Tryna right my wrongs, my regrets filling up my head.” There’s a constant theme of asphyxiation in full focus, much like in the “Dawn FM” track, “Take my Breath.” The bridge begins with the lyric “I’ve been baptized in fear, my dear / I’ve been the chief of sin.” This, along with many of the rest of the songs, shows that The Weeknd is realizing all the sins and lies he has committed and is trying to become reborn from it.
“Reflections Laughing” enjoys a captivating and lengthy feature from Travis Scott, while “Enjoy The Show” features Future in a similarly long feature. “Reflections Laughing” brings back the theme of death, with The Weeknd singing of dying in a girl’s arms. After the post-chorus, the song breaks for a voicemail message from a girl who expresses worry that The Weeknd is letting the industry get to him. The Weeknd sipping on a glass of liquor can be heard during it, playing into The Weeknd’s showcase of his own demons. A heavily distorted Travis Scott takes over the entirety of verse two.
“Enjoy The Show” connects The Weeknd and Future’s history of drug use with expressions of love for someone. Future’s first line is “I can’t feel my face anymore,” a nod to The Weeknd’s song “I Can’t Feel My Face,” from his second album “Beauty Behind the Madness,” and more lyrics compare the love interest to being his drug of choice.
“Without a Warning” sets up the outro track of the album, with deep expressions of The Weeknd’s inner struggle with his past and if he can ever move on from The Weeknd’s persona into who he truly wants to be seen as. He sings in the outro “How do I know tomorrow’s coming? / Especially when I always kiss the sky / Especially when I always chase the high.” Verse one of the title track, “Hurry Up Tomorrow,” acts as an end not just for the album, but for the trilogy, and maybe even The Weeknd in his current form.
The Weeknd sings “Wash me with your fire / Who else has to pay for my sins? / My love’s fabricated, it’s too late to save it / Now I’m ready for the end,” as if he is making his last plea to God in a gospel-esque piano ballad — which is unusual for him. In these lyrics, he is asking God to purify him in punishment for his past sins, which the chorus echoes with The Weeknd pleading to go to heaven.
“Hurry Up Tomorrow” acts as the quintessential end to the journey that The Weeknd has taken his fans through since he released the dark and drug addled “After Hours” in 2020. The Weeknd utilizes his deepest and most emotional lyrics yet, which are accompanied by some of the best production his albums have ever had.
