By Ally Uhlendorf
Managing Editor
After releasing three successful singles teasing her next big project, pop star Tate McRae finally dropped her highly anticipated third studio album, “So Close To What.” The album brings a new sound to McRae’s discography with some more submerged-sounding R&B-adjacent pop melodies.
“So Close To What” was released on Feb. 21, and reached over 11 million streams by the next day on Spotify’s Daily Top Songs USA. The record includes 15 songs, with a total of 42 minutes of music.
As implied in “cut my hair,” the first track off of her last album, “Think Later,” the singer is sick of “singing about the same old stupid things,” and the “sad girl bit got a little boring.” This new album is definitely staying true to that proclamation, with a majority of the songs having an upbeat, pop girl feel.
This album is definitely for older audiences, as the 21-year-old placed a few tracks on the album that explore mature themes. As teased in her music video for “It’s ok I’m ok,” McRae is reinventing herself as a star; with her scandalous outfits and themes in music videos, the artist is bringing back real pop music.
In a red carpet interview with Rolling Stone, the singer explained this new era “is inspired by pop videos of the early 2000s — old Britney, old Christina.” This influence is clear on the record and with McRae’s new image. “Sports car” has a classic Y2K sound, reminiscent of Britney Spears. Its whispered chorus, where McRae stutters, “we can uh-uh in it,” is the risque pop sound we needed in this generation.
The artist stands her ground in the opening track of the album, “Miss possessive,” with the introduction of the song saying, “no seriously, get your hands off my man.” McRae has been publicly in a relationship with singer The Kid LAROI since early 2024, and is now setting a direct boundary as their relationship dives into a more serious stage. Laroi is even featured on one of the tracks off the new album, titled “I know love.”
In a more vulnerable tone, “Revolving door” is a compelling mix of emotions. The song starts with an airy, moody sound as the singer begins with, “my cold heart is finally melting.” Thematically, the song discusses the struggles of revisiting a past relationship, even when you know the right thing to do is move on. McRae’s lyrical vulnerability is the star of the song as she confesses her inability to fully let go, comparing her return to these same old feelings as a continuous cycle, like a revolving door. The end of the song truly tugs on the heart strings, especially when accompanied by the music video, with McRae crying and begging, “I need a minute.”
On the surface, “Purple lace bra” may sound like just another pop-style track off the album. However, this song has got to be one of McRae’s most raw and real songs off of the album, and one of my personal favorites. McRae told Rolling Stone the song discusses “the beautiful yet harsh reality of being a woman.” Being fresh in the scrutinous spotlight of Hollywood, the artist has already gone through the turbulence of being a woman in the music industry.
The theme of “Purple lace bra” is rooted from the artist’s two recent music videos for “It’s ok I’m ok” and “2 hands,” where she is seen in a purple lace bra. In a podcast episode with Jake Shane, McRae tells the story behind the lyrics.
“I was actually on vacation. I had a week off and I was just writing things in my journal and reflecting on life. I kept writing, ‘Would you hear me more if I acted like this? Would you hear me more if I talked like this or wrote like this?’ Feeling like sometimes I just wasn’t being heard,” McRae said.
The song is directed toward the media and the public, where she feels she is most criticized and tracked for her every move.
“And then I dropped a couple of music videos. My relationship with the media was what this song talked about. I would feel confident and empowered one day, in my own skin, and it would be completely misunderstood the next day,” McRae said.
McRae did not hold back on showing her true self in this album, and the public is loving it. As the artist is only growing more and more, there is a lot in store for her future in the industry. On Aug. 13, the singer is kicking off her fifth concert tour, the “Miss Possessive Tour,” where she will showcase this new album live across the United States and other countries.
