Tate McRae Finds Her Sound- opinion piece
By Matthew Landsman
March 4, 2025
Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for iHeartRadio
On Feb. 21, up-and-coming pop star Tate McRae released her third studio album, “So Close to What.” This marks her second full pop record after the worldwide success of “Think Later” with songs like “exes” and “greedy” which marked McRae’s standout year.
This new album blows her previous release out of the water, breaking out of the mold of standard pop music. After experimenting with pop dance records, she was able to immerse herself in different subsections of pop.
A darker vibe comes to mind when describing “So Close To What.” There are elements of pop trap in songs like “Dear g-d” and “bloodonmyhands feat. (Flo Milli),” along with some more experimental 2000’s pop in “Revolving door” and “purple lace bra.”
It easily is her most cohesive project to date, flowing from beginning to end seamlessly. Many storylines comprise the project, from being possessive of her man, being a woman in the public eye, relationship trauma, and falling in love. THE KID LAROI is featured on the project, declaring their love for each other on “I know love.”
Including so many different feelings at the same time can be hard to comprehend, but it didn’t here. These experiences are a stream of consciousness relatable for people her age. Turning 21 comes with its ups and downs, especially for McRae. Her life has completely changed these last two years as she has become one of the country’s most sought-after stars.
In my opinion, my favorite song at the moment from “So Close To What” has to be “Miss possessive.” The energy in this song is unexpected and she wants the world to know not to interfere with her relationship. If she has to get messy, she is not afraid of it. “Diva” is a word that comes to mind when listening to her stand her ground, telling other women to get away from her man.
My second favorite has to be “purple lace bra.” She talks about how if she wears that bra or caters to the male gaze, they will pay attention to her. If she is just herself, all of a sudden the men lose interest. It’s a metaphor for how women aren’t taken seriously by men oftentimes. My favorite part is the chorus where it slows down and she hits her falsetto flawlessly, similar to “Diet Pepsi” by Addison Rae.
Thirdly, I loved “Revolving door,” which has an accompanying music video. The song has a hypnotic beat and uses another metaphor. She wants to get rid of this person who treats her badly, but she folds and ends up going back to them because she can’t move past her feelings. The music video acts as the album's centerpiece with 15 doors to symbolize each track. She goes through each door and dances her heart out while doing so. A concept is important to an artist, and her team is giving their all to this new era.
There were no bad tracks, and truly, she has outdone herself. “Think Later” was her first step into the pop category, and now that McRae is comfortable, she has explored so many different kinds of sounds, including R&B elements. The tone is stronger, and she has been working on her vocals, mostly staying in her higher register for most of the album. I have truly zero notes, and this record is the biggest debut of 2025 for a female artist on Spotify so far.
This new album blows her previous release out of the water, breaking out of the mold of standard pop music. After experimenting with pop dance records, she was able to immerse herself in different subsections of pop.
A darker vibe comes to mind when describing “So Close To What.” There are elements of pop trap in songs like “Dear g-d” and “bloodonmyhands feat. (Flo Milli),” along with some more experimental 2000’s pop in “Revolving door” and “purple lace bra.”
It easily is her most cohesive project to date, flowing from beginning to end seamlessly. Many storylines comprise the project, from being possessive of her man, being a woman in the public eye, relationship trauma, and falling in love. THE KID LAROI is featured on the project, declaring their love for each other on “I know love.”
Including so many different feelings at the same time can be hard to comprehend, but it didn’t here. These experiences are a stream of consciousness relatable for people her age. Turning 21 comes with its ups and downs, especially for McRae. Her life has completely changed these last two years as she has become one of the country’s most sought-after stars.
In my opinion, my favorite song at the moment from “So Close To What” has to be “Miss possessive.” The energy in this song is unexpected and she wants the world to know not to interfere with her relationship. If she has to get messy, she is not afraid of it. “Diva” is a word that comes to mind when listening to her stand her ground, telling other women to get away from her man.
My second favorite has to be “purple lace bra.” She talks about how if she wears that bra or caters to the male gaze, they will pay attention to her. If she is just herself, all of a sudden the men lose interest. It’s a metaphor for how women aren’t taken seriously by men oftentimes. My favorite part is the chorus where it slows down and she hits her falsetto flawlessly, similar to “Diet Pepsi” by Addison Rae.
Thirdly, I loved “Revolving door,” which has an accompanying music video. The song has a hypnotic beat and uses another metaphor. She wants to get rid of this person who treats her badly, but she folds and ends up going back to them because she can’t move past her feelings. The music video acts as the album's centerpiece with 15 doors to symbolize each track. She goes through each door and dances her heart out while doing so. A concept is important to an artist, and her team is giving their all to this new era.
There were no bad tracks, and truly, she has outdone herself. “Think Later” was her first step into the pop category, and now that McRae is comfortable, she has explored so many different kinds of sounds, including R&B elements. The tone is stronger, and she has been working on her vocals, mostly staying in her higher register for most of the album. I have truly zero notes, and this record is the biggest debut of 2025 for a female artist on Spotify so far.