Hurry Up Tomorrow — The Weeknd’s last album?
The end is near. That’s how The Weeknd described his new album, released on January 31, 2025, as the final chapter of a grand trilogy. It’s not just a new part of his musical journey — it’s a culmination, a farewell act that reaches into the core of his artistry.
A few months before the release, at a private party in Los Angeles, Abel told friends: “I think The Weeknd is dying. But it’s a beautiful death.” At the time, his words seemed cryptic — but when the album came out, everything made sense.
Hurry Up Tomorrow is a beautiful, atmospheric, philosophical death — a 90-minute artistic ending that unfolds through Brazilian funk, 80s synthwave, Thriller samples, bold rap, and The Weeknd’s signature dark pop.
Philosophical reflections and the influence of Nietzsche
This album is filled with existential questions The Weeknd tries to answer. Some believe his famous trilogy is inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy: the death of the old self, rebirth, eternal return, and the courage to destroy yourself to become something greater. After Hours is hell, Dawn FM is purgatory, and Hurry Up Tomorrow is paradise.
Another theory, closer to The Weeknd’s own aesthetic, suggests:
After Hours is the darkest part of night — between 1 and 3 a.m.;
Dawn FM is the pre-dawn gloom and uncertainty;
and Hurry Up Tomorrow is the sunrise — the moment of rebirth.
In After Hours, The Weeknd pulls us into darkness with lines like “I ran out of tears when I was eighteen,” embodying despair and hopelessness. In Dawn FM, he drifts through uncertainty, singing about emptiness and the search for meaning: “I’m addicted to a life that’s so empty and so cold.” And finally, in Hurry Up Tomorrow, light returns. The album becomes a metaphor for rebirth, as summed up by the line: “I saw the sunrise and I felt alive.”
The influence of Michael Jackson and Giorgio Moroder
The Weeknd masterfully blends the influence of two musical icons in this album. His collaboration with Giorgio Moroder is felt through the use of vintage 80s-style synth lines. As for Michael Jackson, a sample from Thriller is cleverly embedded into “Wake Me Up,” where the classic rhythm and vibe are reimagined in The Weeknd’s dark and intense style.
Lynchian atmosphere through The Weeknd’s lens
The Weeknd reworks the cult song In Heaven from David Lynch’s Eraserhead, turning it into a haunting interpolation on the album. Filled with gloom and surrealism, the track immerses listeners in existential dread — blending The Weeknd’s sound with Lynch’s cinematic world.
Many listeners describe The Weeknd’s music as cinematic — easy to imagine soundtracking a bar fight in 1980s Chicago or a moody road trip through 1990s Los Angeles. His work inspires visual storytelling and emotional depth. This Lynchian influence gives the album added texture, urging listeners to feel every sound and image through a surrealist filter.
A unique blend of styles
Hurry Up Tomorrow brings together a wide spectrum of sounds, making it one of The Weeknd’s most stylistically diverse albums.
Cry For Me merges aggressive trap with distorted synths and pounding drums.
Reflections Laughing has an acoustic feel with Rolling Stones–style guitar and powerful choir vocals.
Given Up On Me starts as a futuristic anthem and dissolves into a soft piano ballad.
The album also features a lineup of guest artists who add new colors without overshadowing Abel. In addition to Anitta and Playboi Carti, there’s Travis Scott (Reflections Laughing), Future (Enjoy The Show, Given Up On Me), and Lana Del Rey (The Abyss). Their contributions feel natural, enhancing the sound without stealing the spotlight. Lana’s closing vocals in The Abyss are especially moving, lending the track a gentle, angelic aura.
“I’ll still make music, but I still want to kill The Weeknd”
The incident in 2022 where The Weeknd lost his voice during the After Hours Til Dawn tour marked a turning point. Many saw it as a symbolic end to a phase in his career. That feeling deepens in this album, where he announces the closure of one chapter and the beginning of another.
The album is permeated with weariness toward his own persona. In songs like Drive and Cry For Me, he describes “fame as a sickness” and “a penthouse prison” — honest expressions of his inner conflict. These themes aren’t new, but they feel authentic and underline his disillusionment with fame.
The album’s conceptual depth, sonic evolution, and more personal, mature lyrics confirm that Hurry Up Tomorrow isn’t just an ending — it’s also a new beginning.
