Atwood Magazine’s writers explore the storytelling and songcraft of ‘Hurry Up Tomorrow,’ The Weeknd’s sixth LP and the climactic finale of his latest album trilogy – one that may also mark the end of Abel Tesfaye’s era under his iconic pseudonym.
Featured here are Atwood writers Bárbara Mtz, Josh Weiner, Juls Patterson, and Lauren Turner!
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To start, what is your relationship with The Weeknd’s music?
Josh Weiner: Yeah, I’ve been a fan for about 10 years now. “Can’t Feel My Face” was the first hit song of his I remember hearing on the radio, back in 2015, and I recall “Love Me Harder,” “The Hills,” “In the Night” and others being popular around that time as well. I’ve continued to listen to the Weeknd’s music regularly ever since and had the good fortune of catching him on the After Dawn Tour in Chicago in 2022– a stellar performance, capped off with a rendition of the almighty “Blinding Lights,” was quite the evening, rest assured!
Juls Patterson: I admittedly was very young when House of Balloons came out – learning to write in cursive young. That being said, I was on Tumblr for its peak years by the time I was in middle school, and I found him that way. Even though I was a little young to understand what he was talking about, I felt seen through his references. The Beach House and Siouxie Sioux samples on my two favorite songs, “House Of Balloons/Glass Table Girls” and “The Party & The After Party,” made me understand where he was coming from with his influences and the context in which his work existed. Since then, no matter what my musical preferences are, I always take the time to sit down and hear what new music he’s put out.
Bárbara Mtz: The Weeknd entered my music radar with his second studio album: Beauty Behind the Madness. “Can’t Feel My Face” and “Earned It” from Fifty Shades of Grey were very popular, and when Starboy came out, he became one of the artists I’d listen to on repeat. His R&B and also synthwave touches make him a special artist to me, as a fan of anything that belongs to the electronic or synth pop genre. I went to the After Hours til Dawn Tour, and the experience of his live vocals, his imagination and set designs, and his reinvention of genres and sounds were enough to realize he is one of the artists I admire most.
Lauren Turner: My relationship with The Weeknd’s music goes back a decade as well. I remember hearing “Wicked Games” in a friend’s car in high school and wondering who the musician was, leading me down a rabbit hole of discovery. By the time Beauty Behind The Madness entered the world, I was a full fan of his work. It came out in my peak high school years, when I was 16. I remember everyone being obsessed with it and it was the only thing ever on. “The Hills,” “Can’t Feel My Face” and “Earned It” were on every radio station and taking over. But I remember falling head over heels for “Dark Times” and “Angel.” Those songs really wowed me and made me excited to continue seeing what would come from The Weeknd. And my oh my have I been wowed over and over again.
What are your initial impressions and reactions to Hurry Up Tomorrow?
Juls: I have mixed feelings on album trilogies, which is kind of an ironic stance to have as a fan of The Weeknd. I think it can be hard to pull off a trilogy without it becoming tired. You have to make three separate projects (obviously) that sound sonically similar and explore a cohesive theme, and there can come a point where it feels like you’re dragging things out. This was my main fear going into Hurry Up Tomorrow. It’s very bloated and has a much stronger back half, so on my first listen, I was terrified that I was going to hate the entire thing. That being said, it’s very tight production-wise, and there are some major hits in here. I think Tesfaye is very attached to his story on this record, which I appreciate, but I think it stopped him from trimming some of the fat. When I loved it, I loved it, but when it dragged, it really dragged.
Bárbara: I expected that, as a closure to the trilogy, it had to be a good closure, one that would leave fans satisfied and, perhaps, even more impressed. One of my main expectations was also that the sounds of this album would be very familiar, yet my impression was that I cannot say that it’s something that we’ve heard from Tesfaye before. He once again proved he is experimental, with a wide variation of genres that go from Brazilian funk to pop. What made me feel really positive about this album were the features as well. Appearances such as Florence and the Machine, Lana Del Rey, and Travis Scott sure lit up the tracklist with their mentions.
Josh: My first impression before even listening to the album was: “Woah. 84 minutes? That’s pretty long for an LP!” But having made my way through the album in three chunks today, I can confirm that the length isn’t as daunting as I had originally suspected it would be, since it’s an entertaining and energetic listen that ultimately passes by pretty quickly. It’s great to see the Weeknd achieve such impressive consistency throughout his catalogue now that he’s been around for as long as he’s lasted.
Lauren: Every time I listen to a new album, I listen to it fully through, song by song, in order. I haven’t had a listening experience like I did with Hurry Up Tomorrow in a hot minute. And it was simply that – an experience. I was dancing around my kitchen at times, jumping when a transition hit smoothly and crying over lyrics. His artistry has and will always be something I could talk about all day, and I think it really showed during this piece of work. Hurry Up Tomorrow could be dissected and studied for years to come, and I think that says a lot about an artist and the work they put into the world, regardless of whether you are personally drawn to it or not. I also fully agree with Josh. I was nervous with how long the length of this album is, but with its entertainment and energy the time passed quickly and I was like “Well, now what?”
How does this album compare to The Weeknd’s past releases – what are the most striking similarities or differences?
Juls: It’s clear he put lots of work into referencing his entire discography. He’s experimenting quite a lot with production, while allowing his lyrics to harken back to his early material in many ways. For instance, I think “Cry For Me” fits perfect on My Dear Melancholy, and “Opening Night” could have been on Starboy. I think this level of self-reference is both a huge strength for continuity’s sake and his biggest weakness. It’s necessary to tell the story he’s telling, but I found myself wishing he would reinvent the wheel at points. Hurry Up Tomorrow is at its strongest when it sounds nothing like what I’ve heard from him yet, but this is near impossible for him to pull off with the concept he’s working on.
Bárbara: A similarity in The Weeknd’s albums is that they are centered on a story. Of course, synth-pop or R&B styles are also a common factor in his past and recent work, but there is also a storyline. Each of his albums, at least in the trilogy, represent something different. A beginning, a middle, a closure. Furthermore, Hurry Up Tomorrow could be the most genre-diverse album of the three. The themes of the albums are different as well. Dawn FM represents a journey towards the “light at the end of the tunnel” and it could be said that his new album is brighter, with hope and redemption.
Josh: Even before you start formally dissecting Hurry Up Tomorrow, I think it is pretty easily recognizable as a work by the same author of After Hours, DAWN FM, and other entries in the Weeknd’s catalogue. It helps that he’s aiming for the same level of sonic grandiosity this time around, and also has employed several producers he’s worked with in the past (Metro Boomin and Swedish House Mafia among them). So yeah, this one can slide onto the shelf pretty easily alongside the Weeknd’s other albums.
Lauren: The Weeknd has always been a storyteller at his core who loves to experiment and create something he is proud to put out into the world. He views music at its depth, an essential form of art. When looking at this album from a zoomed-out lens, that is exactly what I see. Another artistic masterpiece to add to his collection. However, when zooming in, like my fellow writers have mentioned, it does reflect a lot of his previous work, even before this specific trilogy he is working on. With rumors floating around that this could be Abel Tesfaye’s last album as The Weeknd, I think that is exactly what this album needs to be. A journey through not only this trilogy and finishing this specific story, but the story of The Weeknd in its entirety. With the themes of death really being a center point throughout Hurry Up Tomorrow, it all makes sense. It is The Weeknd – in the past, present and future.
Hurry Up Tomorrow is described as the “final and most personal chapter” of the trilogy series that began with Dawn FM and After Hours. How does this record close that trilogy, and what are your takeaways from these three records?
Juls: First thing first, I think it says a lot that the rollout for Hurry Up Tomorrow was nowhere near as grand as it was for the previous two. It created a precedent that this record would be more personal, a real passion project, and I’m grateful I went in with this expectation. After Hours is all about self-destruction, which makes sense, considering the themes of his records prior. Even on the cover, he’s covered in his own blood, still grinning. He’s embracing the harm he’s causing, letting it wash all over him. Dawn FM is his moment for self-reflection – some of the first lyrics are “You’ve been in the dark for way too long. It’s time to walk into the light and accept your fate with open arms. Scared? Don’t worry.” It’s the thesis of the record. He’s understanding who he truly is, what he’s done, and how to release these habits. By the time we reach Hurry Up Tomorrow, he’s reached self-acceptance (after all, he’s dying soon). I think this trilogy is likely a fictionalized version of what he was living in the time of his earlier work, and this record was bound to be the most personal, as projects about escaping addiction and self-harm always are. It’s an ode to what he’s gone through and who he is because of it.
Bárbara: The three albums were good albums that made Tesfaye’s stage name greater and more renowned. I believe this is one of the trilogies I like most, and that I grew up with, so following the story has been an exciting experience. I think this is a good closure to that trilogy, with different or inventive production choices and several themes, among them redemption. It is the most personal chapter of the series, and its true ending (the very last song) became impressive to many, including myself, because it comes full circle with the transition to his first song ever, “High for This.”
Josh: Like I said in my answer above, I think you can identify the sonic continuity between this new album and his last couple ones easily enough. The narrative continuity between these works is a little trickier for me, but as best I can tell, Juls has totally nailed it in their answer above, so I’d be comfortable going with their flow on this one.
Lauren: I would completely agree with that statement. It does feels final and does feel like the most personal chapter yet. Honestly, I would even argue Hurry Up Tomorrow is The Weeknd’s most personal record in his discography. Juls really hit it spot on! Could not agree more with that answer.
The Weeknd teased Hurry Up Tomorrow with the singles “Timeless” and “Sao Paulo.” Are these faithful representations of the album?
Juls: Yes and no. I think they’re definitely very strong songs, some of the most memorable on the record, and they’re perfect marketing material for the “vibe” of the album, so to speak. However, if I went in expecting an album full of songs like “Timeless” and “Sao Paulo,” I would have found myself underwhelmed by the slower sections on this record, most of which lie in the first half. These two tracks, while absolute bangers, would make me itch for a club record, which Hurry Up Tomorrow is not.
Bárbara: I don’t believe they establish a definite theme or mood, but they do tell the album will be diverse in production and instrumentals. “Timeless” is more of a rap and R&B track, while “Sao Paulo” remains in the electronic spectrum while having its bursts of Funk carioca. Also, they serve as a hint at the outstanding features that would also come in the rest of the album.
Josh: When it comes to singles, it’s pretty surprising that “Dancing In The Flames,” already a certified hit, didn’t make the cut here (especially given that the record is already 84 minutes long; would extending that to 88 minutes and making room for “DITF” have really been so beyond reason?). But putting that much aside for now, I can still vibe with “Timeless” and “São Paulo,” as they’re energetic and well-executed numbers, just like much of the rest of the record. On that fundamental level, they’re representative of the rest of Hurry Up Tomorrow.
Lauren: I struggle with this question. At first, I would say no. But with a second thought, maybe? I think it is hard to think of because each song is its own part of the story and no two are the same. Bárbara’s answer of these two singles not establishing a definite theme or mood but telling how diverse in production and instrumentals is my thought process too. I thought to myself, “If I answer this question with no… what would I have chosen as the singles?” And I couldn’t answer it. Each song serves its own purpose and adds its own element to the project.
Which song(s) stand out for you on the album, and why?
Juls: My favorite song on the record is “Open Hearts,” which comes to me as no surprise. It feels like a sister song to “Sacrifice,” my favorite song on Dawn FM. On my first listen, when those synths kicked in for the chorus, I turned to my partner and said, “That, by itself, is enough to make me buy a ticket to see him live.” It’s such a great moment, and I wish more of the record was filled with bits like that.
Bárbara: For me, “São Paulo” is a song that stands out for me on the album. It has quite a combination of genres since its very beginning, of course combining a style of Brazilian funk, electropop, and synth-wave. The song deviates from other rhythms in the album, and that makes it special enough for its riskiness as well as for its meaning (Sao Paulo was the city where The Weeknd performed to debut songs of this album). Another song that stands out is “Open Hearts.” It’s catchy, euphoric, and it reinforces The Weeknd’s usual style as well.
Josh: I agree that “Open Hearts” and “São Paulo” were true bangers, and I also think it’s nifty that he collaborated with Lana Del Rey again for the first time in seven years (I think) on “The Abyss.” Time and repeat listens will tell what emerges as my favorite tracks from this record, but those are some of the ones that come to mind for now.
Lauren: I have been attached to “Cry For Me” and “Open Hearts” ever since the first listen. They have been on a constant repeat for me. “Cry For Me” reminds me a lot of some of The Weeknd’s beginning days. The chorus also blends pain and beauty within this depth of yearning that is unique to listen to. When it comes to “Open Hearts,” the track makes me want to dance under a disco ball in the ‘80s but the lyrics hit hard. “Where do I start when I open my heart? It’s never easy falling in love again/ Cover my scars when I open my arms,” are some lines that pertain to a very relatable experience we all go through. But I love how The Weeknd contradicts these lines with the upbeat rhythm. It almost reflects the feeling of falling in love again when the past comes back to haunt you.
Do you have any favorite lyrics so far? Which lines stand out?
Juls: I think my favorite part of the record is the through line of preferring delusion to real life, and I liked going along with the persona he plays as he lets go of this concept going into his “death.” The longer the record goes on, the less he talks about partying and the more he discusses pain. About halfway through on “Enjoy the Show,” he says, “I just wanna die when I’m at my f*ing peak.” The part that stands out the most to me, though, is on “Red Terror.” The music dies down, and he says, “Death is nothing at all, it does not count/I have only slipped into the next room/Nothing has happened/Everything remains exactly how it was/I am I, and you are you.” It’s a very stunning sentiment.
Bárbara: The lyrics from “Cry for Me” are heartbreaking and painful, something that always gets my attention when singers try to transmit that through music. The themes of regret, despair, pain, wanting something to be reciprocal, also reminded me of one of his most popular songs, “Die for You.” Yet this song is not much about him, but about demanding or wishing from the other person the very same he has felt and given. Lines from the last track, “Hurry Up Tomorrow,” I believe stand out, too. As an ending, they have to speak loads, and there are many important final lyrics in this song. “And I hope that I find what I’m looking for,” “I failed her like I failed myself, I’m sorry,” “And I’ve been trying to fill that void that my father left,” and “I hope this confession is enough” are some of the lines that, finally, let us know he’s changed the way he sees his life and himself.
Josh: Oh man… 84 minutes’ worth of music means a lot of lyrics to choose from! But I appreciate Juls and Barbara’s analyses of the passages they’ve selected, and (just to cite one random example) I’ll add that I admire the metaphorical work at play in “Reflections Laughing”: “I’m trapped inside a gilded cage, a golden blade I’m sharpening.” Oh, the perils of fame….
Lauren: Like we have all kind of discussed throughout this piece, there is such a connection between this album and the concept of healing and forgiveness in hopes for a new life rooted in peace and understanding. With that being said, there were lines from two songs that stuck out to me and really made me stop in my tracks and reflect upon that concept Tesfaye was drilling throughout this record. The first one being, “I’ve been baptized in fear, my dear/ Like Paul, I’m the chief of sin/ Washing my soul from within” from “Baptized In Fear.” The second one from “Hurry Up Tomorrow” being, “Done with the lies, done with the loss/ Hope my confession is enough/ So I see Heaven after life/ I want Heaven, when I die/ I want to change.” To me, these sort of go in tandem. The Weeknd is begging for forgiveness, hoping his confession (this album) is enough to land him a spot in Heaven (everlasting peace). It is a hard thought to even try to fully grasp and understand, but something about it wowed me and really gave an understanding to how heavy everything in this album has been weighing on him. It is the rawest I have ever seen Tesfaye in his music.
Where do you feel Hurry Up Tomorrow sits in the pantheon of The Weeknd’s discography?
Juls: I have a bias towards his earlier work, which is partially a sonic preference and partially nostalgia. I consider Hurry Up Tomorrow a mixed bag: it holds some of his strongest tracks, best production, and most interesting lyrics, but it also harbors some real sleepers. For this reason, I can’t rank it too high, but I do find it to be the cleanest of this trilogy.
Bárbara: I don’t think it’s his best album, but to demonstrate his creativity and multifarious works, this would perhaps be the right album. This album has important, transcending tracks; yet the album as a whole, cannot be at the top of the list. There are brief, transitioning bits that are also fractions of the story, yet perhaps can’t be considered essentials.
Josh: I agree with Bárbara that it’s maybe not his very best album, but that’s mainly just because the competition for the top spot is pretty fierce for an artist with a catalogue this strong and consistent (DAWN FM might just be atop the podium for me, though). Still, I can certainly applaud Hurry Up Tomorrow on its own merits and feel comfortable ranking it as one of his three or four best LPs off the bat.
Lauren: Like Juls, Bárbara and Josh have said, I’m not sure if this is my favorite album of his. However, the artistry and production within this record are stunning.
Abel Tesfaye has said that this might be his last album as ‘The Weeknd.’ With that in mind, how does Hurry Up Tomorrow fare as a swan song? How does it serve to crystallize The Weeknd’s 16-year legacy?
Josh: I mean, I think the odds of this actually being The Weeknd’s final album are about as good as The Black Album’s odds of actually being Jay-Z’s last album were when that “retirement record” came out back in 2003. 
But let’s play a hugely far-fetched game of “what if” and imagine how we’ll look back later on if this is indeed Mr. Tesfaye’s final act under his current onstage persona. No matter what, I’m sure we will all appreciate The Weeknd as one of the defining musical artists of the first quarter of the 21st century– that much has pretty much already been guaranteed– and we’ll look back at Hurry Up Tomorrow as the record that allowed him to close out his signature creative act in stellar style. Again, I seriously doubt we ever have to worry about being in said predicament, but you know, there’s always that “what if,” isn’t there?
Juls: I think Hurry Up Tomorrow serves as a fantastic end to this run, and I would be excited to see what Tesfaye works on in the future. In my opinion, the persona he embodies throughout all of these records can only take him so far, and he’s wrapped up this run at the perfect time. He’s brought together all the elements of everything he’s worked on, from the polished synths in his recent music to the lyrical stylings of his earliest work. He samples “In Heaven” by David Lynch on the titular final track, which feels like a beautiful, existential sendoff. The last song also transitions fantastically into “High For This,” his first ever track. His first lyrics on said song are, “You don’t know what’s in store, but you know what you’re here for.” His final lyrics on “Hurry Up Tomorrow” are simply, “No more, no more, no more.” It all feels very meticulous, like a story planned from the beginning. If this is it, I consider this project the perfect finale.
Bárbara: This album might be a great goodbye for The Weeknd. Although not his greatest album in the trilogy, it is a tribute to previous work and also an ode to his past and present self. It is a demonstration of some of his most vivid characteristics as an artist: originality, innovation, and vision. We see a different, evolved artist, and yet there is nostalgia for the artist from “Starboy” or the After Hours album. Many good things have good endings, and I’d say this album represents that. The transition to his first song, “High For This,” has been described as an endless loop. Besides the question or belief that The Weeknd character is stuck in the loop forever, it could also mean something to the listener: The Weeknd’s legacy may be long-lasting.
Lauren: I can definitely see this being The Weeknd’s last album. But I don’t see this being Abel Tesfaye’s last album. In simplicity, I think Hurry Up Tomorrow is The Weeknd’s truth. I think it is the completion of him telling his story. It takes all the other albums before this one and says, “Here is what I thought. This was my experience. I am looking forward to the future.” So, to me, I think that is one hell of a way to say goodbye.
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