It takes only 20 seconds for the Weeknd’s sixth album to imply that it might be his last. The album, titled “Hurry Up Tomorrow”, is promoted with billboards declaring “THE END IS NEAR” and social media posts inferring the album is the final “beautiful chapter” in the artist’s story. The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, has also suggested that a 2022 incident in which he lost his voice on stage was some kind of cosmic message.
However, the same was true of his last album, “Dawn FM”, which was rich with end-times imagery and arrived accompanied by interviews in which Tesfaye announced his desire to “remove the Weeknd from the world”. A cynic might suggest that implying he’s about to retire – or at least retire the Weeknd persona he has inhabited for the last 13 years – now seems part of his release strategy.
The album, which lasts nearly 90 minutes, features samples from soundtracks, including Giorgio Moroder’s score for “Scarface” and David Lynch’s “Eraserhead”. It also comes accompanied by a full-length feature film, co-written and starring Tesfaye, and has various cover art, including a movie-style poster with a close-up of Tesfaye’s face, looking sweaty and grimacing.
The lyrics are preoccupied with the struggles of being rich and famous, with Tesfaye singing about his “penthouse prison” and being “trapped inside a gilded cage”. The music, however, is a different story. The album is full of great songs, with fantastic production touches, including a George Harrison-esque guitar and a rubbery bassline. It’s an album that can be both floor-stopping and wall-driving. The album concludes with two big ballads, “Without a Warning” and the title track “Hurry Up Tomorrow”, which have a certain grandeur and leave-taking quality.
The album’s departure may be a shame, but it also manages to make the artist’s apparently imminent departure seem just as well.
