Tate McRae was just a toddler when the Pussycat Dolls dropped ‘Buttons’, but the nostalgic reference suits the now-21-year-old her like a glove – just one listen to her latest single ‘Sports Car’ will make it obvious why fans’ mash-ups with ‘Buttons’ are so popular. Like Nicole Scherzinger’s posse, the Canadian artist has killer dance moves and a flair for sultry, self-confident club pop. This sound defines her third album, ‘So Close To What’, which refines the rhythmic pop-R&B sound of her second, 2023’s ‘Think Later’, but with a synth-ier sheen.
On ‘So Close To What’, her producers – including OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder and Kylie Minogue collaborator Lostboy – conjure fresh, club-ready beats with nods to glossy floor fillers from the flip phone era. The slinky ‘Miss Possessive’ recalls Ciara and Pussycat Dolls (again), while ‘I Know Love’ and ‘Means I Care’ channel the dancehall sass of early Rihanna. ‘Revolving Door’, a swirling rave ballad about a toxic relationship, suggests one of the headier, more experimental tracks from Britney Spears’ 2003 album ‘In The Zone’.
The supremely sleek production means that the odd clunky lyric really sticks out. The gleaming glide of ‘Signs’ hits a road bump when McRae sings: “I know you’re intelligent, just no rocket scientist.” She also has said the album’s country-flecked closer ‘Nostalgia’ is about trying to “follow our true passions” and “be present in the moment”. It’s a well-intentioned sentiment, but she begins it with a lyric that won’t evoke much pathos: “Daddy went to law school and could have been an architect / Now he’s turning 60 and wonders where the big dream went.” Middle-class regret is rarely compelling in a pop song.
Fortunately, they’re outweighed by moments where McRae serves main pop girl energy with sharper lyrics than in the past. ‘2 Hands’ manages to be horny and thrifty at the same time: “We don’t gotta live out of hotels / We could do it in my room all day.” ‘Like I Do’ spins a tale of female jealousy that feels a bit like a Gen Z All About Eve, and reaches a melodramatic climax with a fabulous spoken word part where McRae confides: “I can’t tell if you wanna kill me or if you wanna kiss me.” The skittering, wistful ‘Greenlight’ captures the emotional complexities of moving on from a painful relationship. “I can’t unhear shit I’ve been told / Guess I never healed right,” McRae sings over deceptively breezy beats.
‘The result is a rock-solid collection of bops that gives McRae space to grow in the future. She’s great at sultry and self-confident moments, but ‘So Close To What’ proves she has other shades in her colour palette.
Details
- Record label: RCA
- Release date: February 21, 2025