Tate McRae is undeniably one of the internet’s biggest “it girls” after releasing her sophomore studio album “THINK LATER,” which showcases a mastery of what current pop listeners want and defines her identity as a performer.
McRae has gradually made an impressive name for herself in the music industry over the past few years, with her first billion-stream song released when she was just a teenager. Although her debut album “i used to think i could fly” was nothing short of successful, it pales in comparison to the reception of “THINK LATER.”
After the single “greedy” went viral on TikTok in the summer of 2023 and has since been used in millions of videos, McRae was hot on everyone’s radar for new music. Following another extremely successful single titled “exes,” the singer’s sophomore album quickly became highly anticipated. The two singles took listeners by surprise, as they were almost jarringly different from most of the singer’s previous releases.
The album is a significant transformation for McRae both lyrically and sonically. In the song “cut my hair,” McRae references the “sad girl bit” that she became known for in most of her songs and how it was starting to get old. “THINK LATER” completely flips this image, as many of the songs are upbeat in melody and explore the excitement and chaos of life as a 20-year-old girl.
While her earlier music was more comparable to that of Billie Eilish — consistently slow and sad ballads that highlight the singer’s strong vocals — this project has more of a bright and girly Britney Spears sound and covers topics ranging from partying to girl friendships. It has a well-crafted variety of confident and upbeat songs in addition to continuing to highlight her previous strengths with songs about heartache and sadness.
At some parts of the album, it may feel like McRae is trying just a little bit too hard to reshape her thematic identity and change the sad girl narrative into a hot girl narrative. However, this was necessary for her to find the mainstream success that has cemented her as one of the top names in pop in such a short time. Although most people like a good heartache ballad every now and then, listeners also appreciate diversity in sound and can get bored easily if a singer doesn’t experiment and try new things in their music.
The tone of this album felt very spot-on for the experience of a 20-year-old navigating attraction, friendship, heartbreak and identity, speaking as one myself. I felt an almost painful relatability in several of the songs, even if it wasn’t through any kind of sophisticated lyricism.
Its relatability felt similar to another mainstream pop girl’s recent release, Olivia Rodrigo’s “GUTS.” They both have mastered fast-paced, upbeat and easy-listening songs while also interweaving emotionally introspective songs into their work that highlight the volatility and chaos of life as a young woman.
“THINK LATER” is short and sweet, as it’s just under 40 minutes long with 14 songs, but it packs a punch that has drawn the attention of tens of millions of new listeners. The use of shorter songs has proven to be a remarkably successful strategy, especially in how much TikTok has influenced and changed the way people listen to music. Attention spans have noticeably decreased, and McRae avoids losing this attention by intentionally keeping her projects concise in structure.
This era of McRae’s career has been a flawless marketing campaign for an up-and-coming artist finding permanent success. Besides thematic relevance and a format that aligns with current listening habits, her use of social media has been extremely effective. She is constantly marketing herself on Instagram and TikTok, but in ways that feel more relatable and personal to fans instead of seeming commercialized and disconnected.
This album was a confident statement on McRae’s potential as a household name in the music industry, rather than someone who had a single blow up on TikTok and faded into obscurity. It’s not going to be the deepest album you’ll ever listen to, but it is extremely well-produced and shows a positive vision for the future of pop music.
