Best of 2023: Tate McRae - THINK LATER
by Ellie Polen
In her second album, THINK LATER, Tate McRae exudes authentic pop star vibes, marking a significant departure from her previous release, i used to think i could fly. This time around, she teamed up with a fresh set of producers and songwriters, drawing inspiration from the early 2000s pop era.
Tate McRae, an emerging Canadian singer-songwriter, initially gained recognition as a dancer on “So You Think You Can Dance.” Her journey took a musical turn when she began sharing original songs on YouTube, catapulting her into the spotlight. The breakthrough single "you broke me first" gained early popularity. With her latest album, McRae seamlessly integrates her dance background into dynamic live performances and captivating music videos, solidifying her ascent to pop star status.
THINK LATER presents itself with a dual nature, featuring a blend of songs that advocate for disregarding emotions and embracing the present moment, alongside ballads that carry emotionally weighty lyrics. These emotional oscillations appear to parallel the experiences of adolescence, where certain matters may feel immensely significant in the moment, evoking intense emotions, only to be easily shrugged off the next day with a sense of growth and newfound confidence.
McRae opens up the album with “cut my hair,” a track that is set to acknowledge this new era of living in the moment and worrying about things later. She sings in this lively, sassy pop tune, “sad girl bit got a little boring,” which she mentioned in an interview was her way of introducing this new, different body of work, as her prior album contained a lot of sadder tracks.
“Greedy” was McRae’s first single off of this album, which quickly rose to number one on the charts. This catchy, infectious song came from a time McRae was hit on at a bar, but at the end of the day, she chose herself. It’s a fun bop full of confidence, with an early 2000s style twist that audiences can’t seem to get enough of. She sings, “I see you eyein’ me down, but you’ll never know much past my name / Or how I’m runnin’ this room around and that I’m still half your age.”
Some of the more emotional tracks on the album are “run for the hills” and “messier.” McRae teased these two on TikTok prior to the album’s release, as their heart wrenching choruses are relatable to many adolescents. In “run for the hills” she belts, “The way you touch me / Straight to the heart, yeah, it cuts me / 'Cause I know deep down that it's / Never gon' ever be us, uh-uh-uh / Nеver gon' ever bе more than just something that's fuckin' me up.” In “messier” McRae dissects a complicated relationship where she admits she has her own issues, but when combined with this immense love, the two are even messier together.
A unique track on this album, “hurt my feelings,” is a flirty song where McRae discusses her complicated entanglement with a man who has a girlfriend. She sings, “Got me messed up dreamin’ / That your girlfriend’s leavin / Got me real, real deep in’ / Want you so bad, baby hurt my feelings.”
“Exes,” the second single off of the album, is an anthem that screams bad girl energy. McRae chants, “Kisses to my exes who don’t give a shit about me / Kisses, kisses to the next ones who think they can live without me.” She revealed this song was written in 30 minutes, and that it was the perfect upbeat track that allowed her to finally combine her passion for dancing with her singing. She clearly demonstrates this in her breathtaking Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera inspired music video, which is definitely worth a watch.
McRae incorporated a surprising alternative rock track titled, “we’re not alike.” It’s the perfect anthem the world has been missing about an ex-best friend who did you dirty. The profound lyrics in this song, “Said she was a girl’s girl, that’s a lie / Said she had my back, but she had the knife,” convey the message of being stabbed in the back by someone you once trusted. It’s an angsty, packed anthem that stands out from the rest of the album.
The title track, “think later,” paints a vivid picture while telling the story of a night out. McRae mentioned that she believes this track adds a necessary color to the album, as it discusses the theme of, “Live now, think later,” which is echoed throughout the album. Fans have mentioned this track sounds very similar to the unreleased song, “Jada” by Ariana Grande. The track incorporates a strong bass, while balancing her voice and attitude to deliver an unforgettable pop production.
The ending track, “plastic palm trees” is a song with an acoustic vibe, as the main instrumentals are soft guitar strings. She sings about her journey of growing up in her small-town to her big-city life that she lives today. The main concept of this song is that she perceived her future life to be perfect, but now that she’s there, she realizes that she was “just looking at plastic palm trees.”
With smashing pop singles that have taken the charts, McRae follows strong with an intricate album containing a variety of different lyrical ballads and sassy, upbeat pop tunes. Listening to this album takes you directly through some of the best and worst parts of being an adolescent, making it relatable to many around the world.
This review is part of EMMIE’s Best of 2023 series. Keep an eye out on our website throughout December, as we will regularly post full album reviews of this year’s greatest hits.