On Jan. 31, R&B artist, The Weeknd, released his latest studio album, “Hurry up Tomorrow”. Filled with slow beats and amazing feature artists, “Hurry Up Tomorrow” pays homage to The Weeknd’s legacy, and covers sentimental topics, all while maintaining an upbeat, yet mellow tone.
The album starts out slow, and includes powerful vocals. Track one is called “Wake Me Up”, and has a beat similar to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”. According to Apple Music, track two “Cry For Me” is one of the most streamed songs on the album. Some of them aren’t worthy of their popularity, but The Weeknd makes up for these losses with other tracks. The song “I Can’t Wait to Get There” brings to mind Frank Ocean or Kanye West when the song’s beat is taken into accountability. Overall, the songs in this album have slower beats with energetic vocals, and strong feature artists.
Many of the more powerful and memorable lyrics speak to the artist’s struggles in the music industry. In the song, “Cry For Me”, one of the lines reads “In this penthouse prison, I’m alone,” which highlights the lavish yet lonely life that musical artists lead. Similarly, in track nine “Reflections Laughing”, The Weeknd sings about how he’s “Trapped inside a gilded cage,” conveying the same meaning as the lyric mentioned previously. A song on the album that brings this idea home is “Baptized in Fear”, which speaks to his regrets and reflects on how far he’s come in his music career.
The featured artists on this album are unexpected, but tie in perfectly with The Weeknd’s style. “Reflections Laughing”, as mentioned previously, features Travis Scott and Florence and The Machine. It’s apparent that Travis Scott had to step out of his rap comfort zone for this song, but it created a new side of his music that hasn’t been seen before. The next track, “Enjoy The Show”, features Future, who has a similar style to the Weeknd. Lana Del Rey is also included in the album, but that’s not surprising because they’ve collaborated before. Arguably one of the best tracks on the album, “Timeless” features Playboi Carti. Normally his music is hardcore rap, but he created a new vibe when singing on The Weeknd’s album. While some of the artists were shocking to hear, they all meshed great with The Weeknd to create a euphony of hip-hop and R&B.
Overall, this album is perfect for fans of more alternative genres of hip-hop or R&B. The Weeknd is making unique and authentic music mainstream, and this album is no exception to that. He creates a beautiful synthesis between meaningful lyrics and distinctful beats to create something brand new. For anyone who loves analyzing lyrics, wants to try new music, or is a fan of this genre, “Hurry Up Tomorrow” might just be the perfect album for your next listen.
