Over the past 14 years, Abel Tesfaye, better known as The Weeknd — has been swooning crowds with his angelic voice that has captivated the music industry. His tunes have captured the ears of billions, as the only musician to have 25 songs with over a billion streams each on Spotify. His global reach and pop culture influence has made him a modern mega-icon.
I remember my first experience listening to the Toronto native from the song “The Zone” featuring Drake off of the second album in Abel’s original trilogy, “Thursday.” With the slow and mellow melody — mixed with Abel’s acapella in the background — along with a smooth 808 bass allows his and Drake’s flow to work perfectly together; the song remains one of my favorites to this day.
With the release of the first single “Dancing In The Flames,” I was instantly hooked on what the sound of this new album was going to be. A hint of late 80s synth-pop mixed with his modern R&B style fit really well and set the tone for the upcoming album.
After the initial single, he dropped “Timeless” with Playboi Carti. The song was different from the first, but really was just a modern rap song with a catchy beat. Later on he released “São Paulo” with Latin pop artist Anitta. The song was a drastic change from “Dancing in The Flames,” with a hyper bass beat similar to modern Brazilian house. Hard hitting kicks and interesting use of 808s and vocals, it made me start to question what this album could even sound like.
After a delay due to the LA wildfires, “Hurry Up Tomorrow” was finally released on Jan. 31. The marathon album is over an hour and 20 minutes long with 22 songs.
The first half of the album is the biggest highlight. The first song, “Wake Me Up” featuring Justice, is a great introduction to what the album sounds like, half being upbeat, hard hitting kicks, pop-like melodies and a hint of that 80s synth-pop and R&B. The other half is mellow, harmonic and has a deep emphasis on vocals.
Another highlight for me personally was “The Abyss” with Lana Del Ray. Del Ray has always been one of my favorite vocalists and hearing her collaborating with Abel on what sounds almost like cinematic resolve immediately after the main climax just felt and sounded perfect. Her background vocals control the mood and flow of the song and mix well with Abel’s flow.
It is worth mentioning “Reflections Laughing” featuring Travis Scott and Florence + The Machine. Abel and Travis have been frequent collaborators, most notably on songs like “wonderful” and “WAKE UP.” This combination of Florence + The Machine’s melodies, Travis’ autotuned deep voice vocals and phone call interlude that breaks up the song, all fit so well with the story of the album. The song itself flows well, with transitions that make sense and melodies that enhance the lyrics and vocals of Travis and The Weeknd.
The Weeknd is vulnerable in this album, showing his imposter syndrome in the interlude “I Can’t ***** Sing,”and throughout the lyrics of his songs describing the feeling of falling down a spiral and the feeling that he is stuck in the cycle of the industry. This theme has been perpetuated throughout this trilogy of albums, starting in After Hours and continuing through into Dawn FM. This album is a representation of Abel trying to break free from the industry.
The Weeknd has released a fantastic cultivation of his career. Unfortunately, there may never be another album under that moniker. I feel fortunate that I was able to experience the albums that he has released and the evolution of his sound. The Weeknd has shaped pop music and I feel deserves much more recognition for his impact on the industry. The Weeknd is over, and so “Hurry Up Tomorrow” marks the end of an era, and an introduction of a new one.
