The newest album by the ever-growing and buzzing artist Tate McRae was released back in December 2023 and was quick to gain popularity within the social media and streaming platforms. The album is titled “Think Later” and is McRae’s second studio album.
14 songs were put together to create this album, and have been successful at maintaining the artist’s career, but after giving it a complete listen, I have a few mixed reviews. With that said, the album still has range and some songs definitely caught my attention in a positive light.
“Think Later” is a pop album and based off the two songs, “Greedy” and “Exes”, which made a lot of noise on TikTok.
My negative feelings toward the album begin here. I understand that because the album is meant to be pop, many of the songs would be upbeat, but they honestly missed the mark for me.
The extremely fast-paced and high-pitched tone that most of the songs are flooded with cause them to lack individuality and become repetitive. Unfortunately, there is simply an absence of creativity with a majority of the album. I can’t get past it and I believe that there are many other pop albums that deserve the hype that this one has received.
During my listen, it felt like I found myself hearing music that is constantly playing in H&Ms and Targets, which isn’t exactly a compliment. It isn’t music that can really withstand the test of time; it’s not something that will keep people interested in a few years.
Instead, it will soon feel immensely overplayed, and I speculate that a big part of this is due to the lyrics. When you really look into them, the topics that are being sung about have been discussed a thousand times–there is nothing special about the lyrics that separate them from past songs.
Although I have a negative view on this, there are others that have a similar opinion but feel more positively toward it. In a Rolling Stone review of this album, Larisha Paul said, “These are recurring themes and tropes that emerge across many artists’ catalogs, including some of the greats. Artists like Rodrigo and Grande lean into the hyper-personal.”
While I have my complaints, a few songs were able to escape them. One of them is “Stay Done”, and a big part of my warmth toward the song is how much it stands out compared to the rest of the track.
The overall sound is something that is far closer to the typical music I’m drawn to, McRae’s vocals are also put on stronger display here than the bulk of the album. Not only this, but the topic is more relatable and deeper than the rest, and it is the main reason why I feel like I might find myself listening to this song in the future.
Though I didn’t have the best experience, it doesn’t mean it is a bad creation, I am just not a part of the intended audience for this particular style. My review should not stop you from exploring the newest McRae release and follow the young artist’s future with music!