On Feb. 21, Tate McRae released her third studio album, “So Close To What.” The album features pop and dance-pop sounds, with a hint of some R&B tunes. McRae released songs “Its ok I’m ok,” “2 hands,” “Sports car,” “bloodonmyhands (feat. Flo Milli)” and “I know love (feat. The Kid LAROI)” as singles before the album came out.
8/10
Starting strong, “Miss possessive” sets the fun and edgy tone for the rest of the album. The intro features actress Sydney Sweeney’s voiceover where she says, “No seriously, get your hands off my man.” This line explains the message of the song. McRae is interested in someone and wants to ensure that person is hers, so she warns other girls to stay away. McRae’s higher vocals are a prominent feature of the song, complementing the music’s rushed tempo and melody.
“Pretty girl gon’ learn your lesson/Some fights you never gon’ win'”
10/10
The lyrics of this song are effortlessly catchy and hard to get out of my head. The song’s tempo constantly shifts from more relaxed in the beginning and quickly speeds up during the verse and then into the chorus. I feel like the built-up speed of the harmony was done on purpose to represent the “revolving door” and spinning around and around and the feeling of adrenaline that McRae seems to be portrayed through the lyrics. Through the lyrics, she seems to be trying to get out of a relationship, and no matter how much she convinces herself it isn’t good for her, she still ends up back where she started.
“‘Say I couldn’t want you less, but I just want you more.'”
3. “bloodonmyhands (feat. Flo Milli)”
6/10
I appreciate McRae’s vocals the most from this song. This is another one where her higher vocals shine. McRae sings of moving on from what seemed to be a toxic relationship and how that person is watching her return better than ever and finding another person to be with. I thought Flo Milli’s feature was a fun addition to the song. However, the song is a little bit too fast for me.
“Oh baby boy, you’re seein’ stars”
7/10
The fifth track, “Dear God,” is also catchy. I really liked McRae’s lyricism throughout this song. In the lyrics, “To erase his name, I’d give it all,” she expresses wanting to forget about this person that she is still hung up on and can’t get over. She wrestles with the feelings of all the memories and time spent with this person but ultimately knows she needs to end things. The lyrics and subtle beat of the rhythm make for a catchy ballad, as well as McRae’s stunning vocals.
“Take the way he used to say, ‘I love you.'”
7/10
I immediately found the intro of the song to be unique, as it creates a dramatic effect. The instrumentation of the cello and violin makes for a really nice melody. McRae sings of feeling like she can not be taken seriously by just her words and that she is only valued when it comes to appearance. I love how the lyrics are so honest, and you can hear the passion in her voice.
“Would you hear me more if I whispered in your ear?”
9/10
Right from the start, the intro music is so enticing. One thing I love about this song is the melody, and McRae’s higher vocals in the verse make for a fun contrast to her lower and mysterious tone in the chorus. McRae’s word choice in this song is definitely something that I think surprised many fans, as she brings more edge to this track. This one I will not be skipping.
“No, you ain’t got no Mrs./Oh, but you got a sports car”
5/10
The beat to this song is somewhat similar to the previous track but less intense and more subtle. As the song builds to the chorus, the music becomes more pronounced and drowns out McRae’s vocals. The song is about thinking that the person who loves her should be able to read her mind despite changing her mind constantly. There wasn’t anything special about the song for me, so it wasn’t my favorite.
“So classic, assumin’ you telepathic”
8. “I know love (feat. The Kid LAROI)”
7/10
The eighth track, “I know love (feat. The Kid LAROI),” is pretty much a love anthem about how McRae feels whenever she falls in love with someone. I found the chorus somewhat catchy, and it is probably the song’s best part. The Kid LAROI’s feature was a good addition, and his vocals complimented McRae nicely.
“I know love when it hits when it hits”
8/10
My favorite part of this song is McRae’s lower vocal ranges. The beat of the song also reminds me of a more R&B style. The song is about having someone try to get close to you, but they don’t want anything to do with you because they just want to try and become you. McRae also added a unique bridge where she is talking more than singing, and it sounds like it is taped on a voice recorder.
“Say you wanna know me/You don’t wanna know me/You just wanna know what I do”
10/10
McRae released this track as a single before the album came out. This is another one where her vocals can go from high to low, creating a playful tone. She sings of seeing another girl be with one of her exes, but she is okay with it because she knows she was better of without her ex. Most of the album features dance-pop songs, and this is definitely one of them. This is one of her most streamed songs so far.
“And she is like, ‘He’s so perfect’/I be like, ‘Oh, what version?'”
6/10
To me, the tone of this song is probably one of the most humorous in the album. The attitude of the lyrics is so blunt and brutally honest. The line, “I don’t hate every girl your eyes go to,” is an example of how she is trying to make a point that just because she is friends with a guy, it doesn’t mean she has feelings for them. Unfortunately, I feel the musicality could have been more creative. A more developed melody and less repetitive lyrics would have made this one memorable.
“Told you one, two, three times/Don’t you read into us”
7/10
I think the lyrics in this song have to be the most vulnerable of any on the album. McRae sings of her behavior of shutting people out of her life, which she feels could be too good for her, and how she cares about them the most despite the hurt it might cause that person. I like the beat of the chorus the most because it adds a more upbeat spin to the song despite its sad meaning.
“Never been good at the self-expression”
7/10
This is another song with a more sad but truthful tone. McRae explained to Cosmopolitan that the meaning behind the lyrics is about being in a new relationship and seeing all the good signs in it but not being able to move forward or go at the “green light” because of complications of past relationships. One metaphoric lyric I thought exemplified this was “Band-Aids and bullet holes don’t go.” Still, though, I thought the melody of McRae’s voice was nice in the chorus, and, despite the lyrics being whimsical, she found a way to add an upbeat twist to it.
“I’m still tryna make a beeline/Stuck up in a rewrite of the same song”
8/10
McRae’s vocals shine throughout this song and are the main feature. The beat of the drums complements her voice well and creates another fan favorite dance-pop anthem. The tone of the song is so fierce and confident. She sings about not caring about a relationship’s material things and that she only needs to be with her significant other. To me, this is one of the most fun ones on the album to listen to.
“I don’t need to hear I’m your number one/And everybody’s second place”
8/10
The deeper meaning behind the lyrics is something I like most about the song. It is about staying in a relationship, ignoring all the warning signs that are present, and deciding to stay together despite knowing it will not end good for either person. I like the beat of the song, although I wish the chorus would have been a bit more subtle whenever McRae is singing because it almost drowns her out. This could have been done on purpose, though, to symbolize the siren sounds being so loud, while in this case, they are being ignored, they are obvious and easy to recognize.
“Might be crazy to stick this out/But we can’t see all the flames around”
9/10
The first thing I noticed was the sweet guitar solo at the beginning. This is one of the few songs on the album that used strings throughout the harmony. I also think this is the album’s most lyrically mature song, as she used more of a story element. She sings about how we finally feel nostalgic about someone after that person is out of our lives. The lines, “I manifested you would leave/So the day you did, I had you beat” stood out to me because it represents having that pessimistic feeling in the back of your mind that eventually, things won’t work out with either a partner or friend anymore, hoping that it will ease the pain of missing them down the road. I think the softer vocals and subtle guitar strums made for a great end to the album.
“Funny thing about Nostalgia/Didn’t show up ’til I lost ya”
Overall, this album features many upbeat tunes with confident undertones. McRae’s vocals were a shining feature throughout, with songs like “Sports car” and “Revolving door” having enticing and memorable melodies that are sure to leave fans with a feeling of “Nostalgia.”
![Freshman Polly Greaves created this updated version of the original graphic through Canva. Their next episode reviews a science fiction novel, 'Ender's Game.' "I feel like [Orson Scott Card] did a really good job incorporating feelings into his words and the plot," Greaves said, "which really made it a work of art because I believe that good books are books that can make you feel something."](https://eaglenationonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/EndersGame_Cover3.png)
