End of an era: Alt-R & B superstar The Weeknd decides on his after-hour trilogy with a synth epic.
I say it very openly: The Weeknd will probably remain a mystery to me forever. And also what I think of him. Is he now a musical genius? Or a creep completely eaten by hybris? Or both? Or none of it? Hurry up Tomorrow definitely doesn’t make it easier for me. In 2011 a man I fell in love with “House of Balloons” – and I was fascinated. It was the wedding of PBR’n’B like alternative r’n’b a bit estimated, inspired by the cheap hipster beer pbbr. And The Weeknd was one of the poster boys of this new wave, which also included How to Dress Well or FKA Twigs (rather involuntarily).
Since then, the Canadian The Weeknd has worked up constantly in the mainstream-including half-time show performance at the Super Bowl 2021 and the merciless and rightly torn television series “The Idol”. So now he ends a trilogy with his sixth album that started with After Hours 2020, then Dawn FM 2022 and now Hurry Up Tomorrow – an almost 85 -minute epic. And the vibe remains at night. At least mostly.
Take Note, Drake
In the first third of the album, Abel Tesfaye takes us to the club: energetic synthly -pregnant rave. It starts directly with the “Wake Me Up” co -produced by Justice, then Giorgio Moroder blinks here, since daft punk, everything on the stop, maximum pressure, we go steeply with Oneohtrix Point Never, with the Brazilian rapper Anitta, with Metro Boomin . And then? Then he comes into the swing, great pop, longing, softer tones, a lot of reverb, features from future (“Enjoy the show”), by Travis Scott (“Reflections Lahing”, The Weeknd remains the topic of self -hatred and balling for years after ” Can’t Feel My Face ”, from Playboi Carti (“ Timeless ”, with Pharrell) – and one of the most central pieces of the album:“ Take Me Back to La ”, a melancholy ode to the Canadian adopted home. Take Note, Drake.
And he continues to flash a few songs again, the Weeknd from 2011, with its more experimental R’n’B trap flicker, more electronic productions, noise and a ghost called Lana del Rey, the features are hidden on the streaming bidders ) steps through the great “The Abyss”. The Weeknd can still – Hurry Up Tomorrow is an impressive show of work despite its absurd length. And an appropriate ending for the album trilogy, which catapulted him to the mainstream superstar. A film for the album is to follow in a few months. But maybe it is advisable to ignore the experience with “The Idol” – and to simply look forward to The Weeknd at the summit of his pop start.
You can find out which albums were published in February 2025 via our monthly publication list.