Hi, everyone. Hurrythony Uptano here, the Internet's busiest music nerd, and it's time for a review of this The Weeknd album, Hurry Up Tomorrow.

Here we have the newest full-length LP from one of the most streamed, successful, and awarded artists in pop and R&B history, in Canadian music history, Mr. Abel Tesfe, aka The Weeknd. He is now on number six as far as studio albums here. It has been over 10 years since his official commercial debut in 2013, but his career spans back even further than that as he first blew up off of a series of quickly released mixtapes that are now known as the Trilogy. Projects that revolutionized the sound of modern R&B, as we know it, because the spacey, moody, artsy, atmospheric esthetics, these tapes brought to the table really dominated the R&B field for the better part of the decade to come.

Now, Abel was far from the only artist contributing to this trend, of course, going over the greater alt R&B wave of the 2010s would be a totally different video in and of itself. But what is undeniable is that Abel was definitely the most impactful among all of his competition. Even as he signed with a label and began to streamline his sound a bit more, dabble in just more straight-up pop tunes with career-defining singles like "Starboy" as well as "Can't Feel My Face". Keep in mind, that I'm covering a lot of ground and a lot of years here in a short introduction because there are definitely different eras to Abel's career at this point.

One of the biggest make-or-break moments of his career so far came in the shape of his 2020 album, After Hours, a record where he took The Weeknd in a direction that was just so unapologetically pop, and not just pop, but a vintage '80s synth-pop with an electro twist sometimes, too. This was such a big departure from the sound that Abel was usually known for up until this point, even with the very versatile "Starboy" under his belt. But the album ended up being the biggest commercial smash of his career, with soaring hyper-melodic anthems like "Blinding Lights", that once again him in a place where the rest of his competition is playing catch up with the trends that he's setting.

Now, the years to follow from here for The Weeknd have been a mixed bag of highs and also lows. We have seen him nail down some incredible accomplishments, like arguably one of the best Super Bowl halftime show performances of all time, along with the release of his much more experimental and cinematic Dawn FM album. But then on the flip side, you also had that 2022 tour that he had to end abruptly due to some shows where he was having vocal issues. There was also his recent HBO Idol series, which got canceled after one season and led to a lot of widely embarrassing and weird scenes and snippets that even his most hardcore fans couldn't really stomach.

So, yeah, the road Abel has been on as of late has been a bit bumpy, that is true. But he's still been able to come through on the ambitious promise of completing what is essentially here a new Trilogy to match the one that got his foot in the door years ago. Now we have After Hours, then Dawn FM, and finally, Hurry Up Tomorrow. A grand finale of sorts that is 22 tracks long and almost 90 minutes in length.

It has a presentation about it that honestly is pure cinema, especially considering the full range of mixes and production from the likes of Mike Dean, also frequent collaborator Daniel Lopatin, aka Oneohtrix Point Never. And while Abel, sadly, is not working with Daft Punk again on this album, I guess you could say he got the next best thing as there is musical contributions on this record from amazing French house duo Justice, and electronic music legend Georgio Moroder is also credited on the track "Big Sleep", too.

But more important than all of that is just how this very lengthy, very massive album flows, as there are a ton of jaw-dropping transitions that bring us from one track to the next. Meanwhile, there's also a multifaceted narrative to this entire record that essentially goes into the highs and lows of this most recent stage of Abel's career. We see him wrestling with fame and addiction and isolation, as well as insecurity. All this as he provides songs and instrumentals that either see him breaking new ground or expanding on a lot of the sounds and ideas that the Weeknd brand is known for. I mean, even as someone who hasn't always been the biggest fan of Abel's past works, it's impressive and fully leans into the high-concept direction that Dawn FM dipped its toes into years ago, which I think is a really admirable risk given that that album was not the giant commercial smash that it could have been, certainly not in comparison to After Hours.

I mean, sidebar here, but I think we simultaneously live in an era of just very open artistic freedom, but also very narrow expectations in terms of what audiences want or what makes a song very streamable and algorithm friendly. But as an artist who has succeeded under that model now for years, I'm sure Abel understands on some level that he is really departing from that on a record that is as lengthy and as demanding as this one. And yet, he decided to put out this very indulgent piece of work anyway, which again, ballsy, but how great the music actually is on this record – that's the serious kicker.

The opening track is a killer piece of Michael Jackson worship with an incredible vocal performance, pumping synth sequences. The production on this thing is so Quincy Jones, so Thriller era. Justice also contributes to this track, too. The beat goes nearly as hard as anything off of their classic album, Cross. Here and there across his career, Abel has been flirting with the level of influence Michael Jackson has on his music. I love how he's just going full throttle into that direction on this track and just smashing it into a million tiny pieces.

Meanwhile, the following track, "Cry for Me", as far as the melodies and overall aesthetics, feels very much like early Trilogy era type Weeknd. With some Latin undertones coming through on the rhythm side. We have some rich analog synthesizers in the mix, a stunning chorus. And overall, the lyrics on this track deal very much in feeling abandoned, like Abel is at a point where he is getting no sympathy for his wellbeing, and on some level, he feels like he's existing at the mercy of his fame and success. That is placed within the context of a relationship while he simultaneously talks about his time on the road performing killing him.

After this, we have an interlude where he's going on about not being able to sing, which is obviously a callback to that infamous 2022 performance that he had to call off. After this, the record goes all out on the track "São Paulo", where interestingly and surprisingly, he embraces the burgeoning genre of Brazilian funk, which is an insane sound for him to reference out of the blue on such a massive project. But he actually does this very noisy, jittery, groovy, and aggressive dance music genre a lot of justice with the production and the overall vibe. Not only is there an attention to detail with how the instrumental is pulled together, but he elevates it in a way that makes sense within the context of the very spacey, typically moody music of the Weeknd. And while I do think there is an argument that this track does run a little long – and a few others deeper into the tracklist that we'll talk about deeper into the review – but I will say the experience of this album overall, it's very much an immersive type of odyssey, and I'm not sure that feeling would have been accomplished if a lot of these songs were whittled down to just two minutes and change.

Following this, the track "Baptized in Fear" kicks off a bit of a moody passage on the record. It is a dramatic synthy ballad that feels like something out of the Beauty Behind the Madness era. But simultaneously, it is a much more chilling tune than anything that came out of that record, as Abel describes having some paralytic near-death experience in a bathtub with slow, persistent drums and descriptions of some shadowy figure laughing at him. It's absolutely frightening and genuinely nightmarish.

But this track bursts eventually into some really thrilling danceable electro beats on the song "Open Heart," which is just a stellar contrast and an amazing anthem all around. Abel is once again on his '80s shit, really going back into his After Hours era with soaring melodies, high-grade synth work, especially on the chorus as these chords are gliding and dancing along the beat.

Now, after this, there are, I think, a few lulls in the tracklist a little bit as it tends to really start to drown deep in its story and its narrative. The song "Reflections Laughing" I think could have been almost even absorbed into the "Opening Night" interlude, as the track does feel like more of an extended motif than an actual song. We have this sparkling, acoustic ballad passage, followed by more soaring vocals, a synthesizer build. Eventually, a vocal snippet interlude involving a phone call that apparently features Florence, of Florence + the machine. This and sound effects that very clearly show Abel coping with his life on the road at the time by using substances and self-isolating. The vocals begin to slow down as the entire world, the sound of it becomes dark and murky and woozy. This introduces a vocal passage from Travis Scott, where his vocals are all pitched down. Everything's getting slow-mo or falling into an abyss of sorts.

Again, I love the various sounds and sections of these moments and what they're all conveying. I just think it all could have been brought together maybe a bit more efficiently, but maybe that's not a priority that's on your mind when your record is already spanning past an hour.

Musically and songwriting-wise, things pick back up on the track "Enjoy the Show", which is a luxurious ballad with some chipmonk vocal chops hanging in the background. It's a beautiful cut all around vocally and production-wise, but it's maybe the most bittersweet track on the entire record in the most extreme way, as the sound of this tune is so soothing, and yet the content essentially invites listeners and fans to watch Abel's downfall and self-destruction as if it's just entertainment.

Meanwhile, there is an amazing and surprising Future feature on this song where he's just singing his ass off legitimately and seemingly in his feels over a woman. Rarely is Future getting this vulnerable and emotional these days.

"Given Up On Me" is another track in the tracklist that seemingly throws things back to the original Trilogy era with some minor improvements on the vocal front, on the production front, though maybe not so great. It'll leave a long-time fan stunned. I mean, for sure, those synthesizers and Mike Dean mixing cannot be beat, but simultaneously, I have to wonder whether or not this track adds that much narratively and musically to this very lengthy, very dense album, even if the intimate piano and vocal passages on the back end are pretty great.

Following this, we have the very dreamy and sweet "I Can't Wait to Get There", which is a very catchy and soulful highlight. Then a very stark contrast to "Timeless" featuring Playboy Carti. This was obviously a big single in the lead up to the album, especially given its feature, but I think it stands as one of the weaker moments on this project, especially given how repetitive it is, how little Carti seems to contribute to the track vocally in comparison with Abel. Content-wise, I don't think it's as compelling as a lot of everything else here, too.

Meanwhile, "Niagara Falls" seemingly throws it back to more original Trilogy era storytelling where Abel is reconnecting with somebody in a romantic sense, but they're not exactly single at the moment. However, it's still the past he has with this person that is somehow drawing them together once again.

But following this, I think the record moves into a very strong final leg, just so long as you are cool with the synths coming back in a big way and Abel really leaning into the ballads, as "Take Me Back to LA" is a dazzling piece of synth pop where Abel is crooning about missing LA and wanting to be isolated for a number of different reasons, but then eventually coming to the conclusion that he hates being alone.

But then "Big Sleep" is another soundtrack-worthy moment that is absolutely chilling as we have a very grim series of synth chords on this cut attached to more themes of dying and falling asleep forever, which contrasts pretty strong from the following two tracks, starting with "Give Me Mercy", which feels almost like an emotional epiphany of sorts. Musically, this track also feels like the record is coming out of the darkness, which the song "Drive" doubles down on in its own way as this track sees Abel gaining back a thirst for life. I know structure-wise, this may not be the most thrilling or hard-hitting track on the entire record, but it is still nice to hear a tune that sounds essentially like a ray of light in a tracklist that up until this point was sounding pretty dark and dire.

However, it doesn't take long for the skies to get a bit cloudy again on "The Abyss" featuring Lana Del Rey. But while the music does turn a bit more gray at this point, there is a message of love and devotion coming through on the lyrics of this song. I feel like this is matched with the following "Red Terror", where lyrically Abel explores the possibility abilities of parenthood in the context of his life the way that it is now and the ways in which being a dad may potentially change him or possibly give him different priorities or a new focus in life.

To end things off on the album, though, we have some very epic statements on popularity and fame to tie things up. We have "Without a Warning", which is just so absolutely anthemic. The performance on this song is just so freaking righteous, and Abel truly sounds revitalized and assured once again in what he's doing and why he's doing it, even if it ends up in vain or there are people who are rooting against him.

Then we have on the closing track him saying that he wants to see heaven. Again, it's like a bright, shining horizon at the end of this very dark, dark, dark experience.

But yeah, overall, very impressive and and very epic record from Abel on this one. I think even despite some weaker moments around the midpoint of the record, a few lulls here and there, very over the top and impressive way to end this trilogy. Even if this record doesn't end up being as big of a commercial smash for him as some of the releases he has put out in the past, I will say, artistically, I feel like this record really solidifies his legacy and showcases him as a multifaceted as not just a talented singer, but a talented storyteller, somebody who has an ear for production too, and melody, and also a really impressive trajectory and series of eras across his catalog, too, which he touches down on in a myriad of ways across this very wide array of instrumentals here.

Are there some tracks that pale in comparison to others? Yes. Does it drag on a little bit in a few moments here and there? Yes. But even considering that, I still think this is one of the most impressive moments in Abel's career, which is why I'm feeling a light to decent 8 on it.

Anthony Fantano, The Weeknd, Forever.