Tate McRae released her pop album “Think Later” on December 8, 2023. My overall reaction to this album was amazement at the variety of emotions, while I was impressed with her growth and satisfied listening the first time.
I’ve known about Tate McRae for years now as a small songwriter and dancer. Tate McRae is a rising pop star who has been in the light for years now, but reaching a higher level of popularity after this album broke loose. Tate McRae first found fame through her talents of dance as a competitive dancer. She started a career in the industry by being a contestant on So You Think You Can Dance, dancing at the infamous dance studio Millenium and being a featured dancer on Justin Bieber’s Purpose World Tour at a show. McRae started posting home videos titled “Create With Tate” on Youtube showing her singing and songwriting talents with different original songs.
In 2016 she released her first real single “Hard To Find”, but October 20, 2017, she released her first real single “One Day” that attracted a bigger pool of people and a few other singles in the months following that. With some more features and singles, she then released an EP “All The Things I Never Said” and “Too Young To Be Sad” which featured her first hit single “You Broke Me First.” While her debut album, titled “I Used To Think I Could Fly” and released in 2022, gained noticed, her second album has surpassed that. Her second album “Think Later” is on the top of the charts and singles like “Greedy” and “Exes” and “Run For The Hills” are charting high as well. Her dancing and singing have emerged, making her look like the next Britney Spears.
The name “Think Later” is also a titled song on the album, which talks about living life to the fullest now, and thinking about the damages and consequences later. Live your life to the fullest in other terms. I believe there is something bittersweet to that saying. The mix of songs’ meanings are knowing she should leave a relationship but keeps going back, a friend wanting her relationship for herself, hardships of growing up the way she is, moving on from things, liking someone, and so much more. I love the lyrics and the pictures they paint in this album. For a lighter note song about moving on while making a new her in “Cut My Hair” the lyrics “Sad girl bit got a little boring, no right way to say it, want you so bad I hate it, good girls so overrated, so overrated, just wanna cut my hair, lose myself, make you sweat” suggest proof. Along with these lyrics from “Think Later” the titled track, “Laughing in the back seat of the black car, it’s not a good night if you don’t take it to far, live now think later, I do it so well.” Onto the heavier note songs, she gets personal by titling it “Calgary”, which is the town in Canada she is from. She shares her struggles lyrically by singing “I thought I had my s*** together, can’t lie the pills are looking tempting, I thought that I was getting better, just getting better at pretending.” Her variety on this album felt very touching in both low and high ways.
Every song on this album I have loved from the first listen, but I picked out my standout songs, even though it was not easy. “Plastic Palm Trees” is one of my top favorites because of it’s connectability and emotion. As someone who has met Tate McRae and seen her perform live twice, I have developed a sort of protective blanket for her. This song is about how she was living this life that she thought was what she wanted and made her happy, but people kept disappointing her, and it wasn’t what it seemed. It was something deceiving as in plastic palm trees, what she thought was real and tropical became a different reality.
Another one of my standouts was “Grave.” Again, I love the emotion behind this song. She sings about how she tried to make her and this person work out in a relationship, but the deeper she digs at this person, the more she loses herself. A relationship is not always balanced by both sides, and she explained perfectly how it feels to be the one side that’s trying or wanting.
My other standout that I will give goes to “We’re Not Alike.” This story may seem specific to people who have not experienced this situation, but that’s what makes this song such a special standout to me because I have never found a song like this before. She tells a story about how a friend of hers decided to steal her guy that she was in a relationship with. It is a genius thing to write a song about because, sadly within this dating culture and generation, these situations are very common.
Again, I would give a standout to every single song, but those are the 3 I would beg people to listen to first on this album. This album I feel is not just any pop album. It has so many sides of emotion. It has anger, friendships, romance relationships, rebellion, depression, and a strive for what she wants, which I believe is super relatable.
From the singles to the photo shoots to the storylines of the songs, I have to express a huge love and appreciation for this album. I am appreciative of Tate McRae being this open and vulnerable with her life and emotions to allow other people to relate to her at some rate.
Kendall Eades, Staff Writer
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