So Close To What

the take

I don't know. I mean, I enjoyed "Sports car" as a lead single (even if I checked it out a month after it released), but at the same time, I didn't really have any really high expectations for Ms. Tate McRae's newest project. I'm thinking it might be because I had said same expectations for "THINK LATER" and was initially left a bit underwhelmed. ("THINK LATER" is still good, but it took until her show months later for it to grow on me.) I'm thinking that "So Close to What" is more of the same in that regard. It may be bland and generic as hell, but there's no denying that Tate definitely exudes more confidence than she ever has up to this point. On the plus side, I can say that "So Close to What" is more mature than anything else Tate released beforehand with more stadium-produced material on here, which is a plus. It should also go without saying that there are some bops on here, like the aforementioned "Sports car", "It's ok I'm ok", and "Dear god" to name a few. The problem is that this is a bit more inconsistent than "THINK LATER". There are quite a few lows on here, like "Nostalgia", "Like I do" and especially "I know love". These lows had potential to be at least good songs, but they end up falling flat for my ears. It's like they're missing something that'll help them push them up to the next level. This might be a case of "THINK LATER" part two for me, as these songs will probably grow on me more right before, during, and possibly after I see her on tour in November 2025. While a bit underwhelming at times, I still believe "So Close to What' is a good project by Ms. Tate McRae, though.