Topping global charts, Tate McRae seems to have released another pop hit. Her latest album “So Close to What” was released on Feb. 21, but I, for one, can’t agree with what the charts say.
Don’t get me wrong, McRae is a talented artist. One only has to look at her most recent music video, “revolving door,” to see how amazing of a dancer she is. The potential is there, but unfortunately, “So Close to What” did not showcase that.
The album was honestly repetitive — both in lyricism and backtracks — as well as heavily autotuned. Most songs were catchy in theory, but most were also forgettable the second I stopped listening to them. As someone who mainly listens to pop music, I was sure I would like this album. Unfortunately, I’m realizing only a few songs on it will actually make their way onto my playlist.
Regardless, here is my ranking of “So Close to What:”
16. It’s ok I’m ok
This song is genuinely painful to hear. The backtrack sounds like a “Descendants” song, which would be great if I was 10 years old and fully invested in low-budget Disney movies. The entire chorus is just McRae repeating “It’s ok, I’m ok” — just one example of the cheap writing. I have no clue why she picked this song, of all of them, as one of the lead singles.
15. Like I do
I have nothing to say about this one because it was so easily forgettable. It sounded like a low effort version of the rest of the songs on the album. The backtrack gave me a headache considering how jarring it was. The speaking part “I can’t tell if you wanna kill me or if you wanna kiss me” was the only engaging part of the song, but the rest was so unbearably unmemorable.
14. bloodonmyhands ft. Flo Milli
This track was half decent until the rap verse in the middle. This verse would’ve fit into any other song, but this piece’s vibe did not suit Flo Milli’s style. More than that, McRae’s vocals were heavily autotuned. When she hits the high note on “it f-cks you up so hard,” it felt almost robotic and left me unimpressed. I will admit, the lyrics “I got blood on my hands” as a way to describe her relationship was very clever lyricism.
13. Sports car
“Sports car” feels like the future self of “It’s ok, I’m ok,” in that it fixed some mistakes its predecessor made. The whispering part of the chorus honestly made me uncomfortable, but I understand how McRae thought it would be a fitting stylistic choice. I can’t listen to most of the song without it being pretty discomforting because of the overuse of the bass joined with the autotuned singing. Hearing it live would be a much better experience, assuming that McRae’s vocals are up to the job. At least the lyrics were clever, with my favorite being “No you ain’t got no Mrs. but you got a sports car.”
12. Greenlight
While writing this, I had to go back and relisten to the song multiple times because I had no memory of how it sounded. The right word to describe “Greenlight” was unengaging. There is nothing bad to say about it because when I’m listening to it I don’t have any criticism. But immediately after, I couldn’t even remember the lines of the chorus, which is rather unfortunate. I think McRae just didn’t put enough thought in how to structure the song, because while the idea of “waiting at a greenlight” was ingenious, listening to it felt like white noise.
11. Means I care
This song is for those with avoidant attachment styles, but I feel like it could’ve been executed better. The lyrics “If I cut you off, that just means I care” and the pre-chorus were very well done, but the rest of the song was pretty mediocre. It was essentially the same beat repeated over and over again, which got so repetitive I wouldn’t consider putting it on my playlist, no matter how relatable it is — which is really a shame. I wanted to like it, but just couldn’t, as is the case with most songs on “So Close to What.”
10. No I’m not in love
I didn’t really like this song because it was an overused concept — deluding yourself into believing that you don’t like someone is half of every pop artist’s discography, and McRae’s addition didn’t have anything that set it apart. Similar to most other songs on the album, the percussion and bass were way overdone, leaving it sounding almost mechanical. Was it catchy? Yes. But it was catchy in the way that made you want to lose your mind.
9. Revolving door
What set this song apart from the others was its music video, which I think is McRae’s best choreographed dance. The idea behind the song was going back to the same person over and over, and after an intense dance sequence, McRae breaks down crying. But then she gets up and does it all again, tears streaming down her face, which was a very powerful creative decision. I did think it sounded very repetitive — probably on purpose – but it took away from the appeal of listening again.
8. Dear god
The next 8 songs were truly the addictive ones on the album. The line “hands on my chest and my knees in the carpet hoping you’ll stop it” was worth repeating the whole song over to listen to. Unfortunately , the bass was way too high, taking away from the quality of the song. It sounded incomplete and needed some kind of extra flair because it frankly sounds like any generic pop artist’s song. However, McRae saying the words “take amazing out of our sex” was iconic and most definitely a highlight of the album.
7. 2 hands
“2 hands” is the only good single on the album. The difference between it and songs like “It’s ok I’m ok” was the break from jarring and bass-filled backtracks and parts of the song that were slower in comparison, so the song didn’t feel like an auditory overload. It was refreshing as well as catchy, but I think this is McRae’s most heavily autotuned song of all. It genuinely did feel like AI was singing in this song.
6. Signs
“I’m not mad means you’re in trouble” highlights every ineffective communicator’s reality. McRae was smart to include this song on the album because the lyricism made it stick out from other pop songs, in a sense that it connected more with the ugly side of the audience. Tate’s pacing on this song was perfection, and her vocals paired with this was a lethal combo.
5. Miss possessive
“Get your hands off my man” really is the perfect way to start any album, and Sydney Sweeney saying this was brilliant. “Miss possessive,” true to its name, fully encompasses jealousy as the it girl emotion. I liked this song mainly for its aesthetic, and its addictiveness, which comes from the female rage infused into it. McRae’s attitude made it a fun and dynamic listen, unlike many other songs on the album.
4. Nostalgia
Just as I was losing hope that “So Close to What” would have any sad songs, “Nostalgia” came in and satisfied this need. I’ve never heard a song describe the feeling of nostalgia so accurately, in the heart-wrenching way it typically feels. For me, nostalgia is never a happy thing, and McRae seemed to understand that. It was just her incredible lyricism, raw vocals, and calming guitar — simple yet satisfying. It was a much-needed break from the fast pace of the rest of the album, and I would really love to see more of this side of McRae in the future.
3. Siren sounds
This song was released on the Monday after the initial album release as a “bonus,” but it is better than a majority of the original album. What set it apart was that McRae executed the beat drops and breaks in the song very well, so it didn’t feel exhausting and repetitive like the rest of the album. Her vocals were also beautiful and you could actually hear the rawness in her voice, making it sound like I was in fact listening to siren sounds. This was probably McRae’s intended effect, and it 100% worked.
2. Purple lace bra
The only disappointment I felt for this song was that McRae only said “purple lace bra” once the entire song. It felt like an echo of Taylor Swift’s “Wildest Dreams,” with an EDM take that I thought made it sound ethereal. Like “Siren sounds,” McRae actually put more thought into well-placed beat drops.Her “ah-ah’s” in the chorus are a testament to the fact that McRae can actually sing when she’s not drowning it with bass and autotune. The line “you only listen when I’m undressed, cause giving you head is the only time you think I got depth” was so well written and served as a nod to how the media often oversexualizes McRae.
1. I know love ft. The Kid LAROI
This song is the only ten out of ten on the album. The chorus is addicting, the lyrics are wholesome, and The Kid LAROI’s feature is probably the best part of it all — even I can’t hate on the adorable tribute to her relationship with The Kid LAROI. The music video also brought a smile to my face, which I don’t think any of the other songs managed to do. McRae has the ability to experiment with different writing styles, but her love songs really do feel “a bit like drugs.”
McRae is a good artist, with lots of potential. She has the talent and the determination to become the next pop princess. But if she doesn’t make some changes to her style, she will most definitely lose fans like me, and many others that wish to hear less bass.
While “So Close to What” is topping charts, I for one, am hoping her next project will sound a little less like a Disney soundtrack, because that ship has unfortunately long sailed for McRae’s target audience.