By Lauren Harris
On January 31, 2025, The Weeknd shook up the music industry with the release of his new album, Hurry Up Tomorrow. Prior to the album’s release, there were singles like “Timeless,” which featured Playboi Carti, as well as “São Paulo,” featuring Anitta. Putting the Weeknd’s enormous popularity as an established artist and the anticipated success of the project aside, this album’s release was followed by an appearance at the Grammys, something which he had previously declared he would boycott. His performance was actually how I learned of this album’s release as a casual fan of The Weeknd. And although I could sit here and dissect statistics regarding the album’s success since its release nearly a month ago, I would rather talk about the album, its features, and what more we can expect from the Weeknd in the future.
Spanning nearly an hour and a half, this album consists of twenty-two tracks, seven of which feature other artists. From Lana Del Rey to Future, and even to my surprise, Florence + The Machine, this album stays true to the sound The Weeknd has long since established with his music but has blended a mix of the familiar with a fresh spin to set this album apart.
A few tracks that stand out for me, whether it be for how they sound or for the lyrics, or as in many cases with this album both, include “Cry For Me,” “Baptized In Fear,” “Open Hearts,” “Reflections Laughing,” and “The Abyss.” There were also a few transition tracks, like “Until We’re Skin & Bones,” music that connected one song to another and helped to guide the album along. What they lack in duration, they make up for in the grand scheme of pulling the album together, and may even lead to a surprise or two for listeners when they’re not expecting such a clean transition from song to song to come out of seemingly nowhere.
“Cry For Me,” one of the songs The Weeknd chose to perform at the Grammys, was one of the first songs to really grab my attention. The song itself is everything you’d expect a Weeknd song to be, complete with smooth vocals and plenty of synths. He plays around on this song with the chorus, keeping the catchy lyrics the same but disrupting the delivery each time. This is honestly a song that I’ve had stuck in my head for days, and I still haven’t gotten tired of it.
“Baptized In Fear” is a song that struck me more for its lyrics than for its sound. The lyrics themselves could actually be quite dark, depending on how you interpret them, but I found myself appreciating what The Weeknd was getting at as the album progressed. The storytelling with this song, and with the album in general, is honestly what made it so enjoyable for me.
“Open Hearts” picks up where “Baptized In Fear” ends, and although I can only speculate on what The Weeknd’s intentions were with the songwriting on this album, a part of me thinks that this song is absolutely meant to be a continuation of the previous song. Again, the song is catchy (do we see a pattern here?) and full of lyrics that I can find myself and many others relating to. While the previous song focuses on fear and regrets, “Open Hearts” is about second chances, redemption, and love. Or at least, that’s just my interpretation.
“Reflections Laughing” sets itself apart in that compared to the previous songs that I’ve touched on, this song has a unique sound that sets it apart. With that said, it’s also where the album starts to shift a bit; the overall story The Weeknd is telling deepens, and the tone for the rest of the album is changed.
“The Abyss,” a song that caught my attention simply because Lana Del Rey is also on it, definitely lived up to my expectations. Back in his 2016 album, Starboy, Lana Del Rey was featured on a track titled “Stargirl Interlude,” which has since become wildly popular.
This album tackles so much, from regret to falling in love, to substance abuse and life in the spotlight. It’s my opinion after listening that this album is about so much more than sound, it’s about telling a complex and horrifyingly relatable tale of human experience. The Weeknd will be kicking off his Hurry Up Tomorrow Tour in Glendale, AZ, on May 9th. The Hurry Up Tomorrow film is also set to release on May 16 of this year. Overall, I’d give this album a solid three and a half out of five stars, and it fits very well in The Weeknd’s musical saga.
