Tracklist
Miss Possessive	2:18
2 Hands	3:02
Dear God	2:51
Purple Lace Bra	3:10
Signs	2:53
Sports Car	2:45
Revolving Door	2:59
No I’m Not In Love	2:50
It’s Ok I’m Ok	2:36
Greenlight	2:44
Better Than I Was	2:21
Call My Bluff	3:15
Nostalgia	3:03

Tate McRae’s Bold Step Forward

Tate McRae’s So Close to What, released February 21, 2025, is her third studio album and marks her most ambitious pop offering yet.

The record leans heavily into ’00s pop and dance influences; pulsing beats, glossy production, and moments of bold, breathy sensuality, while still anchoring itself in McRae’s confessional lyrical voice.

She navigates themes of desire, identity, heartbreak, and self-awareness, oscillating between energetic pop bangers and more introspective ballads. Though not every track lands equally, the album as a whole presents a confident step forward in her evolution, balancing immediate hooks with emotional weight.

Vocally, McRae shows growth but also reveals limits: she handles the dance-pop tracks and midtempo grooves with ease, but in some of the more stripped or vulnerable moments, she leans more on mood than striking vocal breakthroughs.

Still, So Close to What manages to feel cohesive: it’s transitional in the best sense, looking both backward for influence and forward for possibilities.

Chart Success and Commercial Impact

Critically, So Close to What has earned generally favorable reviews.

On Metacritic it holds a score in the “generally positive” range, and reviewers have praised its production, pop sensibilities, and McRae’s willingness to push into new terrain. Some criticisms point to moments of predictability, overfamiliar pop tropes, or a sense that parts of the album feel too safe. Pitchfork, for example, notes that while it’s her most mature release to date, the music at times “sounds tedious and reheated.”

Commercially, the album was a breakout in terms of chart performance for McRae.

So Close to What debuted at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and achieved number one status in multiple countries, marking a career high in streaming and sales. It’s her first album to reach the top of the Billboard 200, and its singles have seen strong chart traction and streaming visibility.

The album’s success signals that McRae is shifting from rising artist to major pop player, and its impact may lie in how it sets expectations for her next creative moves.