For months on end, singer-songwriter The Weeknd has been strategically dropping snippets of songs, teasing fans with a new album. Following the latest rumors that this project would be the last under his iconic stage name, the actual announcement was cloaked in heightened anticipation and curiosity. After delaying its release to show respect to the devastation and loss created by the recent Los Angeles fires, “Hurry Up Tomorrow” was released on Jan. 31, 2025, marking the completion of The Weeknd’s second and final trilogy.

Using themes of personal redemption and rediscovery, the project explores The Weeknd’s internal turmoil, salvation, and healing journey with greater focus than ever before. On this new album about self-love, there’s certainly much to love — yet, as always, also a little to critique. 

Preceded by “After Hours” and “Dawn FM,” the three albums together tell a story that alludes to Dante Alighieri’s famous epic “Divina Commedia,” following the artist’s journey through a symbolic “Inferno,” “Purgatorio,” and “Paradiso.” Drawing from the classics of the Western literary canon, “Hurry Up Tomorrow” puts a religious spin on a typical R&B-pop sound, accompanied by matching animations. 

My biggest shock when I opened the official tracklist was that the much-teased single “Dancing In The Flames” was nowhere to be found. After its feature in The Weeknd’s São Paulo show and an Apple commercial, the song fizzled out of our collective consciousness after receiving negative feedback from listeners, banished into the shadowy corners of The Weeknd’s discography. The track was replaced with lead single “Timeless,” featuring Playboy Carti, which was released shortly after and much better received. Setting aside this satisfactory substitution of songs, “Hurry Up Tomorrow” might be The Weeknd’s most cohesive album yet. With subtle transitions buffering the beginnings and endings of each track, the songs seem to morph seamlessly into each other. 

The album edition of “São Paulo,” for example, now opens with a cheering audience in the background, creating the effect of a smooth and immediate rise from the rubble of stage fright woes that tormented him in the interlude “I Can’t [F——] Sing.” The Weeknd also employs other unique sound effects throughout the album, including theater organs, upbeat retro disco notes, soft piano, and the unforgettable classic trope: a grainy-concerned-female-love-interest voicemail.

Oftentimes, these diverse sounds follow one after another, combining multiple styles and influences into one song and adding drama to the album’s overtures. The Weeknd appears to emphasize melody over lyricism, demonstrating the storytelling capacity of an evocative backtrack. Echoey, harrowing vocals weave between instrumental flows, delivering serenades that mix addictively with bouncy and somber tunes. 

These many innovations produce a sound and concept that establishes a distinct voice for any listener, but I most enjoyed how the experimentation in “Hurry Up Tomorrow” revitalized and paid homage to signature sounds from the earlier days of The Weeknd’s musical career. 

For one, the singer-songwriter secured his third collaboration with cult-favorite artist Lana del Rey, a returning contributor to many of his biggest pop classics — such as “Prisoner” (2015) and “Stargirl Interlude” (2016) — to the delight of many fans and casual enjoyers. Del Rey’s angelic voice comes as a surprise towards the end of “The Abyss,” delivering an expectedly stunning, harmonic performance for the books. 

Meanwhile, songs like “Baptized by Fear” and “Reflections Laughing” capture the mysterious sultriness of his 2012 album “Trilogy.” Borrowing strategies from the resurging popularity of “House of Balloons/Glass Table Girls,” The Weeknd alternates personalities mid-song, juggling between presenting a quiet sensibility and flaunting the fame-filled lifestyle of an LA superstar. In “Timeless,” he sings, “XO tatted all over her body,” evidently a nod to the large crowd of attractive young models who are part of his XO Crew. Old habits always die hard, don’t they? Luckily, we live in a society where we like to tell ourselves that the journey matters more than the ending, so who are we to judge? 

I loved the songs in “Hurry Up Tomorrow,” even if some were a little repetitive. My real qualms had to do with silly little pet peeves triggered by questionable creative decisions, like, why this album cover? Besides deviating from the satisfying pattern of front-facing profile portraits of the past couple of albums, I’m also just not a fan of the accentuated, high-definition sweat beads screaming for attention every time I play a song on the album. A second question was, why is there a four-minute-long song telling me to “Big Sleep” accompanied by demonic ocean sounds? Some album covers are better left as the untouched original version, and some B-sides are better suited for the vaults. 

No album is perfect, but hearing familiar hits like “Timeless” and “São Paulo” in the context of the fully-curated album was like fitting together pieces of an almost-finished puzzle. While I don’t think any other songs on the album have enough stand-alone potential to rule the charts, I, for one, enjoyed “Hurry Up Tomorrow” and will continue listening to most of the album regardless.  

Rate: 3.5/5