Hurry Up Tomorrow The Death and Immortalization of The Weeknd

The final installment of The Weeknd’s legendary trilogy, Hurry Up Tomorrow, follows After Hours (2020) and Dawn FM (2022). Fans speculate that these albums mirror Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy, moving from hell (Inferno), through purgatory (Purgatorio), and finally to paradise (Paradiso).

In After Hours, The Weeknd is trapped in his own self-destructive hedonism, symbolized by his escape from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, or Sin City. The red suit, the maniacal grin, and the intoxicating beats reinforce his descent into chaos. Meanwhile, Dawn FM portrays a limbo-like experience, with interludes framing it as a radio station guiding listeners through a purgatorial transition. The Weeknd reflects on his mistakes, struggling to break free from his demons.

A Sonic Paradise with Lingering Shadows

If the trilogy follows Dante’s structure, Hurry Up Tomorrow should represent paradise. Sonically, this holds true—the album is blissful and euphoric, with Mike Dean’s signature ‘80s synths seamlessly blending tracks into a hypnotic, dreamlike experience.

Yet, lyrically, the paradise is fragile. In “Open Hearts,” The Weeknd laments his wounds from past loves: “Cover my scars. When I open my arms, it’s never easy falling in love again.” The struggle continues.

Battling Old Demons

In “Reflections Laughing,” a haunting phone call interrupts the track. A presumed lover warns The Weeknd about his self-destructive tendencies, echoing his real-life struggle—possibly referencing his 2022 concert incident, where he lost his voice mid-performance.

Themes of death and finality dominate the album. In an interview with Variety, Abel Tesfaye—The Weeknd’s real name—announced this album would mark the end of The Weeknd’s persona:

“More accolades, more success, more shows, more albums, more awards… It never ends until you end it.”

This sentiment is echoed in “Enjoy the Show,” where he declares, “I just wanna die when I’m at my f—peak.”

A Dance with Mortality

One of the album’s most chilling tracks, “Baptized in Fear,” describes a mysterious figure lurking in the shadows: “Figure in the corner I can’t quite see / I just know the shadow’s staring at me / It gets closer, it gets closer, it gets closer now.” This could represent a grim reaper, a manifestation of The Weeknd’s fears of mortality.

Other tracks, “Abyss” and “Big Sleep,” continue this motif, reinforcing the theme of facing one’s own end.

The Grand Farewell: “Hurry Up Tomorrow”

The title track, Hurry Up Tomorrow, sees The Weeknd seeking redemption, yearning for a final spiritual release:

“And I hope that I’ll find what I’m looking for / I hope that He’s watching from up above.”

The closing lines are especially poignant:

“No, I need heaven after life / I want heaven when I die / I wanna change / I want the pain no more, no more, no more.”

Rather than erasing The Weeknd, Tesfaye chooses immortalization. The final seconds transition seamlessly into “High For This,” the opening track of House of Balloons (2011), The Weeknd’s first project. His legacy lives on.

Flawless Features and Unforgettable Moments

Barring Anitta’s Brazilian-funk chorus on “São Paulo,” which feels slightly out of place, the album’s features are phenomenal. Travis Scott’s deep, distorted vocals in “Reflections Laughing” add a dark undertone. Future’s soft singing in “Enjoy the Show” mirrors his exhaustion with fame’s demands, while his agonized wailing in “Given Up On Me” heightens the track’s despair.

Lana Del Rey’s haunting harmonies in “The Abyss” are mesmerizing, and Playboi Carti’s electric verse in “Timeless”—a track that already boasts half a billion Spotify streams—cements it as one of the album’s highlights.

A Near-Perfect Farewell

With the exception of “São Paulo,” Hurry Up Tomorrow has no skips. Standout tracks include “Open Hearts,” “Timeless,” and “Cry For Me.”. This is a 9.7/10 album—a meticulously crafted, emotionally charged, and fully realized masterpiece. The Weekend has exited at his peak, leaving behind a legend that will resonate for generations to come.