Genre: Pop
Label: RCA Records
Released: 2/21/2025
Rating 6.5/10
Background
Tate McRae’s third studio album presents a lighter and more refined sound compared to her previous albums, but is that enough to distinguish herself in the pop music landscape?
McRae wrote “So Close What” from a new perspective. “I’m not approaching it from being in my bedroom anymore and being 15. I’m approaching it from being onstage and looking out to people and seeing how it affects them,” she recently told Apple Music.
The 21-year-old is a Calgary-born singer who gained fame from her sophomore album, “THINK LATER”. Social media was pivotal for her success as a singer and a performer, with songs such as “Greedy” reaching number one on the Billboard Top 100.
Singles
“It’s ok, I’m ok,” was the lead single for the album, and sonically features a fast-paced backtrack that echoes Britney Spear’s “In The Zone.”
“2 Hands” trailed as the second single and samples “Slide,” by Calvin Harris. R&B influences are found throughout the song, with touches of urban and dance music.
“Sports car” was the third and final single for the album and featured sultry vocals overlaid within synthy production. This lead single displayed a new sound for McRae, as it sonically sounded different than anything else she has released.
My Ranking
- “Sports car”
- “Dear god”
- “Purple lace bra”
- “bloodonmyhands (feat. Flo Milli)”
- “No I’m not in love”
- “Miss possessive”
- “2 hands”
- “It’s ok I’m ok”
- “Means I Care”
- “Signs”
- “Nostalgia”
- “No I’m not in love”
- “Like I do”
- “I know love (feat. The Kid LAROI)”
- “Greenlight”
My Opinion
“So Close To What” isn’t a bad album, and it has many high points such as “Sports Car,” and “Purple lace bra.” However, McRae is a singles artist, with the best songs on the album being the singles that preceded. Listening to the album in its entirety felt like a chore by the end, and it felt much longer than 43 minutes.
None of the songs were unlistenable, but by the last 2 songs, I was disassociating and couldn’t tell which song was which.
The beginning starts really strong and has her experimenting with new R&B and techno sounds but by the middle of the album it just got boring. Lyrically, this album is relatively cohesive and touches on themes of romance and perseverance, with sentimental touches towards the end of the album. “So Close To What” is an improvement from her previous work, and has clear direction and theming.
Her development as an artist will be interesting to watch, as she experiments with new sounds and treads further away from the Y2K image.
Student Opinions:
Natalie Brock, a senior, said: “I’m a big fan of hers and I enjoyed the song “Revolving Door.”
Marjae Branch, a freshman said: “I decided to give it a shot because people talk about her, but I was very underwhelmed.”
