Tate McRae Hits the Nostalgic Sweet Spot on ‘So Close to What’: Album Review
variety.comSteven J. Horowitz Senior Music Writer On “Cut My Hair,” the opening declaration of her 2023 sophomore album “Think Later,” Tate McRae cast off the gloomy clouds that hung over her oft-downbeat catalog: “Sad girl bit got a little boring,” she proclaimed.
Indeed, up until that point, the Canadian pop star was prone to teenage navel-gazing — “Feel Like Shit” and “Don’t Be Sad” had about the subtlety of a “Keep Out” sign hanging on her bedroom door.
And so she sized up to big girl pop with “Greedy” and “Exes,” two whip-cracking hits that reupholstered the Y2K serve of her foremothers.
That all-in “TRL” aesthetic — Britney Spears’ dance moves, Nelly Furtado’s hip-pop savvy, Christina Aguilera’s attitude — is the crucial force behind McRae’s third album “So Close to What,” out today.
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