React & Review: Tate McRae - So Close To What
This is your Sign.
When I last reviewed Tate McRae it was for her album THINK LATER. I highly encourage you to read it. I remember reviewing it and then about six months later thinking (ha!) to myself not only how little I played the album, but how little I remember from it at all. All I really remember are the singles and hits. Everything else hasn’t gotten much plays.
And that’s a shame because I actually find her music very enjoyable. I’ve actually had a few friends tell me how shocked they were that I don’t listen to her music super often because her music styles fit exactly the genres I listen to the most.
With that being said, I am very excited to listen to her latest release. It was actually recommended to me by my dear friend Justine.
So without further ado, here are my first reactions and full review of Tate McRae’s So Close To What.
Miss possessive
First off, and I’m not sure if this was the case with her last album as well, but I noticed that her track titles aren’t title cased. Not that they have to be, but it stood out to me.
Strong start. I love the voice memo intro with the synth. That kick drum is absolutely killer, too. It’s taking front stage with a ton of body, but not much depth or warmth. That 808 bass fills out the bottom end quite nicely. In stark contrast to the kick drum, it has a ton of depth and warmth, filling out the sub frequencies quite nicely.
That secondary backing vocal makes for a fantastic transition between the chorus and the second verse.
The final chorus is super cool. Everything gets stripped away besides that lovely 808 bass, the claps, that secondary vocal, and of course, Tate McRae’s main vocal. It’s a risk, especially in pop music. But I’m here for it. It’s not something I was expecting, but I love it.
Great first track to start the album, in my humble opinion.
Revolving door
I gave the track a full minute before I decided. But I think it’s safe to say this song is a skip for me. Just didn’t connect.
bloodonmyhands (featuring Flo Milli)
First of all, love the title of the track. Bad for voice search? Absolutely. But it’s different and I’m all for standing out.
In that intro, I’m digging the pitched up vocals. That bass line is so deep and sub-bassy. Love it. As usual, I’m listening on headphones but I’m sure this would hit even harder on a proper speaker and sub setup.
Ooof, her harmonies near the end of the first chorus are fantastic. I love the pitch change.
I didn’t even notice that this track has a featured artist, Flo Milli. So that was a pleasant surprise. She comes in on the second verse and fills it out with a very nice rap.
This is likely one of those tracks that I like right now, but only time will tell if it has any replayability in my library.
Dear god
The vibe of this track is completely different than the first few I’ve heard thus far. This has a more R&B vibe, and I’m here for it. It’s a certified head bopper, that’s for sure. Her vocal pacing is excellent throughout the first verse. Very stabby.
I love the breakdown beat in the second verse. It’s subtle and I’d wager most people would miss it. But it’s slightly stripped back compared to the first verse and chorus. I also love the kick drum on this track. It’s a peculiar thing to say, but I like the slight reverb added to it.
Her chorus vocals are to die for. What I’m learning here is I’m a huge fan of her vocal range, especially in the higher octaves.
The breakdown beat comes back for the bridge, but it’s slightly different from the verses. For the lack of a better term, I love how quietly chaotic the bridge is. Of course, there’s structure here. That’s modern pop music. But it sounds like there’s no structure and that’s even more impressive.
And again, I love the unique final chorus/outro. Seems to be something she loves to do.
Purple lace bra
Those strings in the intro. Color me hooked. I’d love to hear this track live purely for that reason.
Another certified head bopper, the beat is absolutely killer. The beat plus strings though? Yeah, pinch me cause I think I’m in heaven. Specifically, for the lack of a better term, I love how gritty the drum kit is on this track. It blends well because the strings are so smooth.
Omg, the bridge is great. She says, Would you hate me more if I whispered in your ear? and does exactly that.
This track is a perfect example of a little goes a long way. I can confidently say it’s gonna make my top three and we’re only five songs in. It’s just that good.
Sports car
The groove on this track is chef’s kiss. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. My personalized mix on Tidal kept recommending this song to me and I had to keep skipping it every time it came up because I was waiting to listen to it for the first time. Justine, you were right. This song is a banger.
The whispered chorus is very good. Again, Tate McRae’s vocal range is underrated. But more than that, her production is too. I love what her and her team are doing with the vocal production choices. That did not go unnoticed.
Not much to say but is it another top three song? Yeah, absolutely.
Signs
Yeah, it’s another one of those tracks. I’m sorry. This one is gonna be a skip for me. I gave this one a minute as well and I was just not vibing with it at all.
It’s okay. I’d rather be honest than say I loved a song even though I didn’t hear it in its entirety and it’s not going to be added to my library.
I know love (featuring The Kid LAROI)
Starting things off very strong as the beat is killer here. It’s interesting that they’ve decided to blend the kick drum and the bass guitar starting in the first chorus. Not that that’s never done before, I’ve done it in songs I’ve mixed as well.
The Kid LAROI’s feature is perfect. No notes, seriously. Right smack in the middle of the album too? Yeah. No notes.
The vocal chops near the middle of the song between the both of them are so playful and fun.
This track won’t make any lists of mine but it’s a pretty solid song overall.
Like I do/It’s ok I’m ok/No I’m not in love
I hope there aren’t too many more of these, but this one is a skip for me as well. Just like the others, I gave it a fair shot. About 90 seconds of listening, or first verse plus first chorus. And it just did not connect for me.
It’s another one of those cases where I was not a fan of a few songs in a row. Sorry.
Means I care
Her vocal chops at the beginning are fantastic and so are the claps in the first verse. The subtle hi-hats in the pre-chorus are great, too. Very low in the mix and low-pass filtered out the wazoo.
I love the relative simplicity of the production here. For the most part, it’s just that low clap, hi-hats, synth, bass, and her vocals. Nothing really changes. But it doesn’t need to. The choruses add a snare, but that’s pretty much it.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Pop music doesn’t need to be complex. This track is a perfect example of this.
Awesome way to close out the song, too. She’s reintroducing her vocal chops from the beginning.
Greenlight/2 hands
Hate to do it to her again, but here’s another batch of songs I skipped. Same deal as before. I gave both tracks the first 90 seconds and neither really pulled me in.
We have two tracks left (one being a bonus track). Hopefully, we can end it on a high note.
Siren sounds (bonus)
Oh yay, a bonus track. That kick drum is killer. What it lacks in definition (mid- and upper-bass) it makes up for in its sub-bassy-ness. So good. Same goes for that snare. I’d be willing to bet that 99% of people miss it, but that snare is hiding within that kick drum. It’s not in your face, it’s not present, nothing. It’s mixed and buried super well within that kick drum.
That carries through the chorus as well. The kick drum is slightly more notable, but the snare drum is still mixed exceptionally well and is extremely low in the mix.
The bridge in this track is absolutely killer. The term is escaping me right now, but it’s the equivalent of a vocal chop, but for the synth. That’s what’s happening here and it’s done very well.
Nostalgia
Is this the only ballad on the album? I’m okay with that. And I’m perfectly okay with it being the last track on the album, too.
What a beautiful way to end an album. I genuinely have no notes for it. The track is absolutely lovely.
Conclusion
This one was a rough one for your homie. But still, the batting average is over 50%. I feel as though there was a period near the middle where I was just skipping songs left and right. And that sucks, always. With that being said, there were definitely some good moments on the album as well so it wasn’t all bad.
Will this album make any of my lists at the end of the year? No. But it’s a solid pop album. What I’ll remember most about it is its interesting production choices. There was a lot of that. A lot of surprise and delight moments in that regard.
So Close To What solidifies this one fact for me. That I’m just an avid Tate McRae fan, and that’s okay. I will never be a super fan of her music. But she makes great music that resonates with me some of the time.
NOTE: This reaction and review was completed after listening to Tate McRae’s So Close To What on the Tidal desktop application (24-bit, 48 kHz) with an active Tidal subscription.