The Weeknd’s Hurry Up Tomorrow: Please, wrap it up!

In Tune is The NewsHouse’s weekly album review. Contributors Ally Watkinson and Mathilde Refloch cover new releases across genres.

For over a decade, The Weeknd has sung about the same themes: fame, sex, and self-destruction. Now, with Hurry Up Tomorrow, a 90-minute, 22-track album accompanied by an upcoming feature-length film, he’s staging his grand exit—“the end” of The Weeknd.

But when an artist has built their brand on the notion that they can’t escape their darkness, how much can we truly believe they want to? The album opens with “Wake Me Up,” an ominous track featuring Justice that swiftly transforms into an 80s synth-heavy anthem inspired by Michael Jackson through the lens of Giorgio Moroder. It sets the stage for what Hurry Up Tomorrow promises: a tortured artist’s final confession. However, from there, it mainly consists of greatest-hits tropes. “Cry for Me” is classic Weeknd—slinky, tragic, and self-destructive. “Baptized” in Fears rehashes his anxieties about fame. “São Paulo” incorporates Brazilian club beats, and “Enjoy the Show (feat. Future)” ventures into R&B’s route.

The production is lush, expensive, and immersive. The album is a déjà vu, only remixing his old work and themes, just spicing it up with a rich production. Then, because obviously, he had to, there is the film, which, considering The Weeknd’s recent entry into cinema, is less of an exciting addition and more of a concern. The imagery surrounding Hurry Up Tomorrow has already hinted at its cinematic ambitions: a sweaty, grimacing close-up of Tesfaye, a movie poster aesthetic, and nods to David Lynch’s Eraserhead, along with a subtle reference to In Heaven in the title track. That influence suggests that it will be an eerie, surrealist descent into a man losing himself, but; how many times can Tesfaye spiral before it starts to feel like a parody?

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Tesfaye hasn’t learned much for an album that’s supposed to be an adieu. His relationships remain dysfunctional, yet any self-awareness gets drowned in the void of lyrics. “Open Hearts” and “Reflections Laughing (feat. Travis Scott)” recycle his usual themes—love as both an addiction and a burden. “Given Up on Me (feat. Future)” hints at the idea that love could save him, but by now, we know better. “Niagara Falls” attempts to frame his emotional damage as an inevitable product of his Toronto upbringing.

Then there’s “Take Me Back to LA,” a long-teased track in which he condemns the industry he’s been part of for over a decade. Tesfaye enjoys portraying himself as a prisoner of fame, yet he’s also one of its most significant enablers. From his real-life relationships to the blatant misogyny in The Idol, The Weeknd’s world has always been one where women are muses and collateral damage. And now, to avoid accountability, he found a new cheat code —God.

Halfway through, “Give Me Mercy” introduces Tesfaye’s latest arc: redemption. “Drive” follows, presenting him as a man searching for a way forward. The album’s emotional peak, “The Abyss” (feat. Lana Del Rey), is a farewell to love, fame, and the Weeknd persona. But there’s a reason redemption arcs often come with an apology. Tesfaye isn’t seeking forgiveness from the women he’s hurt or even himself, only from a higher power, as if that washes everything away. It’s a move we’ve seen done by celebrities repeatedly; once they cross the line, they turn to God.

Is this the end? Maybe. Unfortunately, Hurry Up Tomorrow doesn’t feel like a farewell; it feels like another bloated, indulgent, and sometimes exhausting performance. The upcoming film and the extended tracklist are all intended to feel grand, but mostly, they come off as excessive. The final track, “Hurry Up Tomorrow,” concludes with a transition into “High For This,” the opening track from “House of Balloons.” It creates a full-circle moment but reaffirms what we already knew: The Weeknd is trapped in his loop. 

Abel Tesfaye may be ready to move on, but Hurry Up Tomorrow suggests The Weeknd never actually will, as proved by his performance at the 67th Grammy ceremony.