Album Review: Tate Mcrae - So Close to What

Tate Mcrae’s album, So Close to What, released on February 21st, 2025. Photo by Charlie Denis.

“No sleep. Bus, club, another club, another club, plane, next place.” In true Lady Gaga fashion, this quote captures Canadian pop artist, Tate Mcrae’s artistic development since her musical career began in 2020. Mcrae has ridden the ups and downs of creating music and performing it for the world to see, as she has already released one compilation album, two EP’s and three studio albums. She has toured the United States, Canada and Europe three times already, with her fourth tour for her new album, So Close to What, beginning in August 2025.

Mcrae rose through the charts with her previous album released in December 2023, Think Later, debuting at number four on the US Billboard 200. The album did what it needed to do, launching her “career-defining shift” and solidifying her status as a pioneering force in the pop music industry.

Mcrae has always used her platform as an opportunity to be vulnerable, pouring out her emotions through songwriting as a form of emotional release. In a Rolling Stone interview, Mcrae described her previous album by saying, “For the first time in my life I lived this year a little less with my head and a little more with my intuition – and I really hope you guys can feel that through the music.”

Tate Mcrae on her Think Now tour in Toronto, Canada on July 27, 2024. Photo: Tate Mcrae

Not long after her Think Later tour ended in November of 2024, Mcrae resurrected with a new album released on February 21, 2025 that is bolder, hotter, and more expressive than ever before. The album So Close to What, feels like an experimental album, as she takes creative risks to find her evolved self as a woman.

In an interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music, Mcrae said that her album “came from more of an alter ego, performer state,” as she was able to picture not only the songs and the vibe, but also the concert to go along with it. Her fans, and Mcrae, joke about her alter ego, “Tatiana,” being credited for taking reins on this album and bringing a version of herself that many haven’t seen before.

The album title illustrates her inner turmoil while experiencing a fast-paced schedule on tour. “I came up with [the album title] ‘So Close to What’, which was exactly how I was feeling.” Mcrae said in an interview on influencer Jake Shane’s podcast, Therapuss with Jake Shane. “I was driving towards nothing. This strive for perfection, this strive for the next thing, this strive for finding who you are is like this never-ending loop. You make music and you feel proud of something, and then you don’t feel satisfied enough with yourself.”

The album’s 15 songs explores a variety of universal themes, including love, heartbreak, guilt, jealousy, frustration, and the expectations of being a woman.

Mcrae turning 21 years old and simultaneously being in the spotlight holds unexpected pressures from her audience of what she should be, what she should hide, and how to maintain her identity under the magnifying glass of the public’s perception. So Close to What challenges the criticism by embracing her full authenticity and addresses the realities of female objectification, fluid sexuality, and opportunism.

Tate Mcrae’s photoshoot for her new album, So Close to What. Photo by Charlie Denis.

 “2 hands”, the second single to be released on the album, revealed Mcrae’s latest relationship is more passionate than ever, needing no validation or wooing, just his “two hands” on her that’ll keep her satisfied. This song, unlike most of her discography, has no underlying meanings to discover, but speaks directly to this elevated state that she is in when she’s with her man. Amidst the loud and complex tracks, this song adds contrast that the album needed.

“Revolving door” describes Mcrae’s experience of losing herself in an on again-off again toxic relationship. She is in denial of the severity of her obsession, singing, “But I keep coming back like a revolving door. Say I couldn’t want you less, but I just want you more.”

In a tell all with Billboard News, Mcrae opens up about the hidden meaning behind the evident cycle of relapse: “I realized it was not only about a relationship, but it was also about me and my inability to make decisions and me chasing this career that I was like, ‘oh my God, what do I want from this?’”

“Dear god” explores Mcrae’s sexuality in her previous relationship, feeling so connected to a person yet wanting nothing to do with them. She voices her lustful tendencies, missing the chemistry she had with him, wishing she never had it to begin with. The verse has descending harmonies, almost mimicking her falling down the slippery slope of this romance, and the bridge loses its steady beat and slowing down, as though she was giving into her guilty pleasure and silencing her conscience.

“Purple lace bra” is a personal favorite from this album. The song brings an unexpected meaning, calling out the sexualization of her in the media, with powerful lyrics like, “I’m losing my mind, I’m losing my head. You only listen when I’m undressed.”

Mcrae experiments with a divergent sound, unlike her other music, echoing popstars like Rihanna’s “B**ch Better Have My Money” and Addison Rae’s “Diet Pepsi”. The heartbreaking story of a young female artist wanting to feel confident yet being objectified in the process shines through the heavy beat and sultry tone of her voice.

Tate Mcrae’s new song, “Purple lace bra” sounds similar to “B**ch Better Have My Money” by Rihanna and “Diet Pepsi” by Addison Rae. Photos: Rihanna and Addison Rae.

 “Sports car” emulates a reimagined “Buttons” by the Pussycat Dolls, as Mcrae seduces her partner in a metaphor of a sports car. The song’s first chorus, rather than singing the melody, she whispers, and in an interview with Variety, she explains where the idea came from: “This whole song started because Julia Michaels [one of Mcrae’s songwriters] had this desire for a pop girl to recreate ‘The Whisper Song’ by the Ying Yang Twins.”

The original song leans on this sensual delivery of the whisper, originally coined by a man, and now Mcrae challenges the societal norms and embraces her sexuality on her own terms.

 “Greenlight” takes the album down to a more serious note, as Mcrae discloses her hesitation to lean into a good relationship as the fear of heartbreak creeps up behind her. She uses the metaphor of a greenlight facing her but she cannot seem to step on the gas, singing, “Guess I never healed right, maybe it’s a greenlight but I can’t go.” Another favorite of the album, it pinpoints this common worry of giving your full self to someone to just come out broken.

  “I know love” feels like it should be in the end credits of a sappy romance film like “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before,” in the best way possible. Featuring Mcrae’s real-life love interest, Kid Laroi, the song tells their love story, and its satisfying to hear their voices one after the other knowing their history.

Kid Laroi and Tate Mcrae sitting together at the 2024 VMAs. Photo by Getty Images.

“Nostalgia” breaks out of the relationship theme and talks about a conversation with her family where they discuss their greatest regrets in life. The song brings up the idea of feeling guilty about things that were missed out on for a variety of reasons, and the reminder to live life to the fullest.

While parts of this album to some may feel imitative of what has already been done, the moment in Mcrae’s career that she is in right now seems like a time for discovery. Being able to have a versatile discography is what made artists like Ariana Grande and Lady Gaga stand out and hook an audience. Drawing inspiration from artists is not a crime and paying homage to them through her music while radiating her own individuality is an art that Tate Mcrae has mastered.