Tate Mcrae's 'So Close to What' will keep you coming back for more

Less than two years after releasing her second album, Tate Mcrae released her third album, ‘So Close to What,’ on February 21st, 2025. The album included 15 songs, 2 of which featured other well-known artists. ‘So Close to What’ debuted on the Billboard 200.

Tate Mcrae first gained popularity when she appeared on the reality television competition show ‘So You Think You Think You Can Dance,’ where she placed third in 2016. She went on to post videos on YouTube, where she shared videos of her singing her original songs. Her first hit song ‘One Day’ caught the attention of viewers and record labels alike, and she signed to RCA Records in 2017. Three studio albums have since been recorded and released by Mcrae. 

Prior to releasing ‘So Close to What,’ Mcrae released three singles in preparation. The singles were ‘It's ok I'm ok,’ ‘2 hands,’ and ‘Sports Car.’ A better singles selection couldn’t have been chosen, as they truly are the best songs in the album. Their fun and upbeat energy set the tone for what to expect in the upcoming release. Mcrae’s past as a competitive dancer is evident in her music, as her music just makes you want to get up and dance. The album’s first single hit no. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100. 

‘Dear God’ follows up ‘bloodonmyhands’ as track five. In the lyrics, Mcrae asks for God’s help to get an ex-lover off her mind. Every song in the album sounds pretty similar thus far, with this song following that pattern. ‘Dear God’ reminds me slightly of ‘that boy is mine’ by Ariana Grande. 

Track six, ‘Purple Lace Bra,’ has a deeper meaning than meets the eye. Despite sounding like a song complaining about a boy, it’s actually about Mcrae’s relationship with the media. Mcrae wrote in a journal that she often felt like the media wasn’t listening to her and what she had to say. She wondered if the media would hear her more if she acted or did things differently, she expressed these feelings in ‘purple lace bra.’ This song easily fits in my top five of the album.

The seventh track ‘Sports car’ was originally in my top three, but eventually got bumped down. Being selected as one of the singles was a smart move, as it goes with the rest of the album but still has a more distinct sound than the other songs. 

‘Signs’ is completely underrated. ‘Signs’ is track eight, and a track that I tend to forget about. Re-listening to it reminded me of just how good it is. The lyrics follow the theme of wanting a partner to know exactly what you mean despite you telling them the complete opposite. Hearing this song made me reevaluate my top five. 

Track nine stands out amongst the others since it not only features another artist, but it’s also a song about positive love experiences rather than negative ones. It features Mcrae’s boyfriend and singer The Kid Laroi. The two of them are seen happily together in the track’s music video. It has less of a hip-hop sound, but it maintains good energy. 

Track fourteen is another underrated one. ‘Greenlight’ differs from the hip-hop style, and has more of a slow beat compared to the rest. She writes about not being able to move on to something new because she feels stuck due to memories of the past. 

Mcrae closes off ‘So Close to What’ with track fifteen, ‘Nostalgia.’ It’s completely different from every other song as it’s more downbeat and uses classic guitar. It touches deep subjects like regret and the passage of time. It was a good finish to the album since the random switch up to a slow vibe is attention-grabbing and further highlights the song. 

Overall, I give ‘So Close to What’ a 75/100. The more I listened to it the more and more I appreciated each song for what it was. I felt as though more slow songs were needed, as the songs started to seem a little repetitive. ‘So Close to What’ deserves all the hype it received, and I will definitely be playing on repeat for a little while longer. Tate Mcrae has grown so much as an artist and I can’t wait to see where her music goes.