Album Review: “So Close to What” by Tate McRae

Photo Collage by Simrah Ahmad, Staff Photographer

In this era of messy, bratty pop, Tate McRae sets herself apart with a polished yet provocative evocation of the Y2K aesthetic that shares her peers’ contemporary candor. 

Fresh off the release of her newest album “So Close to What,” the Calgary, Alberta native has been making her rounds with promo performances on Saturday Night Live and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. “So Close to What,” her most well-reviewed album yet, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. She dethroned Drake and PARTYNEXTDOOR’s “$ome $exy $ongs 4 U,” an album on which Drake ironically referenced McRae in the song “Small Town Fame” (“B—h, I feel like Tate McRae”). Same goes the other way around — now that she’s a chart-topper, I bet she feels like Drake. 

I was introduced to McRae when my friend, junior creative producing major Catarina Igel, asked me to join her at McRae’s L.A. concert in the fall of 2023. After listening to club-pop banger “greedy," the lead single off McRae’s second album “THINK LATER,” I immediately accepted her offer. McRae filled the Hollywood Palladium to the brim, and in the moments when I wasn’t trying to get social media influencer Noah Beck to wave back at me, I was thoroughly enjoying McRae’s captivating vocals and expert choreography. 

That said, after listening further post-concert, I was not impressed by McRae’s discography. Her debut album “i used to think i could fly” featured bland iterations of bedroom pop, pop-trap and Olivia Rodrigo-esque pop-rock, and not even the ethereal “go away” could distract me from the mind-numbing hi-hats that plague the first third of the album. “THINK LATER” was a step in the right direction, with a couple of bolder cuts like “hurt my feelings” and a shift into dance-pop and R&B, but the album as a whole was still littered with a lack of presence and inspiration. I was starting to worry McRae would never truly win me over.

Then, “So Close to What” released on Feb. 24. and I was immediately proven wrong. This project finds McRae far more comfortable and confident as she brings all the sex appeal and anthemic girl power of the early 2000s to modern pop. Having left pop-trap behind and fully committed to club-pop and R&B, McRae finally nails the genres she hesitantly attempted on her previous record. McRae has once again partnered with writer-producer Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic fame and rising writer-producer Grant Boutin (“Been Like This”), but this time, the trio produced some of McRae’s most infectious choruses and memorable instrumentals to date. 

“I really felt like a woman for the first time — feeling confident about my sexuality and empowered — but then some days waking up and feeling sexualized in a way I didn’t enjoy, and feeling very misunderstood,” McRae told Vogue. “I felt very conflicted, and like a walking contradiction, and ‘So Close to What’ perfectly summed that up.”

“Miss possessive” kicks off the record bursting with that newfound confidence and finds McRae marking her territory, warning others to stay away from her man in the slick chorus (“Take home whoever walks in / Just keep your eyes off him”). This Aaliyah-inspired track hops straight into the seductive R&B and immediately introduces a more mature McRae to her listeners. “Revolving door” employs a subtle, pulsing beat, creating a spacey atmosphere that evokes a dance floor. McRae’s vocals, which feel nonchalant at first, begin to yearn and flutter in the post-chorus as she confesses her inability to stay away from a lover (“Tried to call you off like a bad habit / But I keep comin’ back like a revolvin’ door”). 

“Bloodonmyhands” features a crisp, lively dance floor beat on which McRae effortlessly glides in the first verse. Flo Milli fits the track perfectly, doubling down on lyrics about moving on and finding someone else with ease (“I’m pretty and worth it, my feelings ain’t hurtin’ / Won’t stay if it ain’t workin’”). The swaying synths on “Dear god” blend with McRae’s impassioned pleas to forget her ex, while the elegant strings on “Purple lace bra” contrast with the crunching, textured drums as a more vulnerable McRae asks the media if they believe she holds inherent value outside of her sex appeal (“I’m losing my mind, I’m losing my head / You only listen when I’m undressed / Hear what you like and none of the rest”). 

“Sports car” may be the boldest song on the album. A female interpretation of “Wait (The Whisper Song)” by the Yin Yang Twins, the song harnesses inspiration from Nelly Furtado and The Pussycat Dolls, and delivers a daring whispered chorus that sees McRae at her most seductive (“No, you ain’t got no Mrs. / Oh, but you got a sports car / We can uh-uh in it”). The unpredictable, dynamic instrumental features reversed beats and sirens, both staples of the 2000s power-pop era. 

The singles “2 hands” and “It’s ok I’m ok” provide earworm choruses over vibrant pop instrumentals, but the most addicting chorus on the album is on the relatable “Signs,” which sees McRae reminding her partner that she may send confusing signals about what she really wants (“‘You should know me better,’ see the signs / Shouldn’t have to tell you or whatever, read my mind”). 

The first half of the album is composed of some of the strongest songs in her discography, but like most pop projects, the back half fails to capture the same magic. By no means are there skips, but songs like “Like I do” and “Means I care” don’t harbor many notable ideas, and even “I know love,” featuring McRae’s partner The Kid LAROI, falls a bit flat with an uninteresting instrumental and an unremarkable chorus. “Nostalgia,” an emotional guitar ballad in which McRae reflects on her family and her past, ends the album on a high note. 

The album garnered 137 million streams in its first week, and has received generally positive reviews and reactions. Of course, I asked Catarina what she thought of “So Close to What.”

“I loved the album,” she said. “It showcased a new personality for her that’s more adult and mature. I thought it was cohesive, and it was the first time that I liked every single song from one of her albums. I think she’s just gonna get bigger with every release.”

I am extremely impressed by the record and am excited to witness a rising pop star that is improving exponentially with every new release. McRae is only 21 years old, and as she evolves and comes into her own as a woman and an artist, the music she creates will surely follow suit. 

“Sometimes the media is such an interesting thing to have because either the good and the bad, it f—ks you up either way,” McRae told Variety. “It makes you feel like you’re not a real person. I’m just trying to put my best art out and make performances that make me feel happy and inspired.” 

Catarina and I are still trying to get tickets for the new “Miss Possessive Tour,” which starts on March 18 in Mexico City. Until then, karaoke will have to do.