The Weeknd – Hurry Up Tomorrow Review

The Weeknd admitting he was uncertain how much longer this moniker could go on opens Hurry Up Tomorrow to a sense of finale. An indication of us being on the slope down from the peak, not of quality, but time with the artist. Hurry Up Tomorrow suggests this in its opening moments. A man coming to terms with a defined and welcome legacy but the toll of this artistry, this ongoing pursuit of a character rather than a complete person, is fractured. All of these troubles and doubts come to a head on Hurry Up Tomorrow, a tremendous effort from The Weeknd to prepare his listeners, and himself, for an end. That much is now in sight, if the suggestions made throughout this near ninety-minute powerhouse are to be believed.  

Some floating synth-wave influences pair well with the looks at legacy and what it means for a creator. Wake Me Up makes good use of this tone. It is a bar of quality set by The Weeknd with its lush instrumentals and candid lyrics. Expecting anything less of The Weeknd would be ridiculous. He carries on with this tone of reflection blurred with begrudging sympathy and acceptance on Cry for Me. Looking back is tough but when the surge of ever-changing tones, drum machines and synth adaptations are made with this style of volatility, it is hard not to get carried away. São Paulo is an extraordinary dive into those brilliant instrumental tones and while it serves as a grand part of Hurry Up Tomorrow, the trappings of fame and the worry of a lackadaisical feel to a project, begins to appear. The Weeknd handles it well with the likes of Baptised in Fear, those shadows staring back at him providing an ever-growing, hard-to-handle expectation. How Hurry Up Tomorrow deals with this is with honesty, with a candid and often brutal understanding of why this project must, at some point, come to a close. 

Its bleed into Open Hearts is nothing short of brilliant. Hurry Up Tomorrow is an apt conclusion for The Weeknd as a moniker. In suggesting he has said all he can as this personification, he finds himself speaking almost entirely from the heart, from the depths of the soul. Brutally personal moments filter through Hurry Up Tomorrow, an album which has an exceptional consistency to it – absolutely crucial when memories are the main form of influence. Pieces like Niagra Falls filter back to a time of childhood innocence, of formative experiences which now make up the tender foundations of Hurry Up Tomorrow. Not all of Hurry Up Tomorrow is filled with those teary-eyed reflections on the past, though. The Weeknd is very firm in his commitment to the future, whatever it may hold, and pieces like Take Me Back to LA are a clearer sign of his intentions.  

An absolute powerhouse of an album on his hands here, with plenty to love in those relaxed synth stylings and the sudden punches of percussion within. Sincerely staggering work from The Weeknd here, who sounds as though he has made peace with the conclusion of a musical moniker. Hurry Up Tomorrow has enough to let fans come to terms with this end, too. There are plenty of reasons to call time and there is no better way to come to the end of the line than with a musical masterclass. Songs like Big Sleep slot right into the finest moments of his discography. His chance for mercy, a decision to end a career path on his terms, is as bold as it is deserved. Latter moments like Give Me Mercy and Red Terror do well to hide the pain and problems of continuing as fans want him to, but a potential finale like this is hard to come by, and harder still to maintain. The Weeknd has a bold piece of work on his hands, as complete a piece of production as could have been hoped for. There is a disassociation a moniker provides which, as heard on Without a Warning, Tesfaye wants to remove from the equation.