By Bella Whitmore | Intern
Tate McRae has undoubtedly made waves in the pop music scene with her incredible stage presence and fun, flirty lyrics. But does her newest album, “So Close To What,” which dropped Monday, solidify her among the pop icons of her generation?
The answer isn’t simple, but let’s start with what this album does right.
From the music videos to her styling to the artistry of the album cover, “So Close To What“ firmly establishes McRae’s aesthetic. It is an album of neutral and beige hues, sparkles, luxury sports cars and new, avant-garde outfits we have never seen from her before. The visuals and promotional artistry are striking, helping to position her as a more mature artist in her 20s rather than the teenage persona of her early career.
She also isn’t afraid to take risks in both her sound and image. Songs like “Purple Lace Bra” and “Nostalgia” showcase a more vulnerable side of Mcrae that we haven’t seen before, and she does it in a more veiled and creative way. At the same time, she stays true to her fun, provocative roots with tracks like “Miss Possessive” and “Revolving Door.” The collaborations on the album with artists like Flo Milli and her boyfriend, The Kid LAROI, also serve to elevate and accentuate the album.
But while Tate Mcrae — the artist and persona — is making waves, the album itself doesn’t necessarily stand out.
At the core of the problem with the album, in my opinion, is a lack of originality, which is a problem that plagues most of her discography. Both the lack of originality in her lyricism and the sound of the music make it stagnant. If you play the album from start to finish, they all kind of run together and sound the same. Don’t get me wrong, it’s an entertaining sound, but it certainly shows an inability to make versatile and diverse music.
In terms of her writing and lyricism, she has definitely made progress from her first album to her latest, but it still has the same recycled and basic feel. To put it bluntly, this album isn’t doing anything particularly new and feels like every other song she has ever written that has gotten popular and become mainstream.
That said, I think Tate Mcrae is a talented artist and performer and I’m really enjoying the new artistic persona and aesthetic that she has adopted. I just wish she would take the same creative risks with her songwriting as she does with her visuals.
The best way to enjoy this album? Put it on shuffle, have fun with it, and don’t overthink it — which is exactly what I’ll be doing.
