If I had a nickel for every time an album by the Weeknd album started off with a song produced by a French electronic duo, I would have two nickels, which is not a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice.
Last Friday, the Weeknd released his sixth studio album, “Hurry Up Tomorrow,” where he continues down the synthpop road he has been carving out for himself, backed with excellent production from a bevy of producers and his amazing voice. But to be frank, that is what most songs bring to this 24-song album, so instead, I’ll talk about some standout tracks I like.
First up is the opener mentioned previously, “Wake Me Up,” which features production from Justice. While this French EDM duo isn’t Daft Punk, who produced many songs off the Weeknd’s 2017 album, “Starboy,” Justice starts “Hurry Up Tomorrow” on an equally promising note.
It takes almost two minutes for the song to kick into gear. The suspense slowly builds up until the drum and bass come into play, sounding like a pastiche of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”. Even with production that harkens back to the 1980s, Justice and the Weeknd make it feel fresh and exciting in 2025.
The next song I want to shout out is “São Paulo” featuring Anitta. I love the Brazilian funk beat that Anitta sings over during this song, as the riff has burrowed deep inside my brain. The Weeknd, with his signature hazy synthpop production backing him, slurs his voice to add to this woozy effect of the song, and to contrast the energy of his part and Anitta’s.
The next standout is the 10th track, “Enjoy the Show,” with a guest verse from Future. Both artists deliver masterclass vocal performances here, as they deliver lines drenched in sorrow and melancholy. Every syllable they sing sounds like a stab in the heart for them.
The big single off this album was “Timeless” featuring Playboi Carti. Carti’s verse gets this thing going, as halfway through he changes his voice and slaps himself back into chipmunk mode. The lyrical topics differ from most other songs, as Carti and the Weeknd rap in a braggadocious way. Ever since they were kids, they knew they were the shit.
The final track that I want to shout out is “Give Me Mercy,” a song that represents a left turn from the general sound of this album. This- song reminds me a lot of Marvin Gaye’s soul hit “Mercy Mercy Me” but with an added Weeknd sheen. His great singing also accomplishes the feat of sounding both sad and happy at the same time.
To be honest, the reason I did not talk about all the other songs on this album is because most songs on here sound similar to each other, which drags the overall listening experience down for me. It is very much like SZA’s “SOS,” a collection of nearly two dozen decent-to-great songs, but if both artists trimmed down their respective track lists, we would have had masterpieces on our hands.
Rating: 3/5