Even though 2023 was a relatively mediocre, it still had some big hits. Everyone witnessed the continuous rise of country music on the charts. To the detriment of everyone else, more pop music from Olivia Rodrigo topped the charts, and Drake released another album. Nicki Minaj returned to the Billboard top 200 albums with her new album, Pink Friday 2, that has the entire world bopping to the lyrics of “Everybody (feat. Lil Uzi Vert).” Taylor Swift released re-recordings of her old albums, 1989 and Speak Now. Last but certainly not least, Tate McRae released her sophomore album, Think Later. To say this album knocked it out of the park would be a colossal understatement.
In 2022, Tate McRae released her debut album, I Used to Think I Could Fly, after 2 very successful EPs. The album consisted of songs that were very reminiscent of her best friend, Olivia Rodrigo’s, sound. Making teenage breakup music clearly wasn’t all she was destined for on the charts, and shedding this label was the primary focus on Think Later. Co-produced by Ryan Tedder, the album was going to be less sad and more pop sounding; incorporating trap beats with her talented singing was only ever going to top the charts in industry. Her previous records that use this style the most were “Rubberband,” “Stupid,” and “All my friends are fake.” However, Think Later would use that same technique, but sound completely different.
In the lead up to the album, Tate released 2 singles as a teaser for her fans. “Greedy” is the first single released off the album, and to say that this record was a massive success is a massive understatement. It topped the charts almost instantly and remained in the Billboard hot 100’s top 5 songs throughout November and December. Even with all the Christmas chaos, her fans were certainly feeling greedy this holiday season. The second single off the album is “exes,” which is a catchy song with an amazing beat and voice behind the vocals. The music video matches the energy and it highlights Tate’s potential as the new generation’s Britney Spears, as she is a very talented dancer. The song currently is amassing over 100 million streams on Spotify. With greedy going 3x platinum and exes being certified gold, her fans were greatly anticipating the release of her breakout album.
Think Later was released on December 8th, with many people staying up until midnight for its release, anticipating the breakout of McRae into pop’s heavyweight circle alongside people like Olivia Rodrigo, Taylor Swift, and others. The album starts off with a track called “cut my hair.” Usually, the term “cut my hair” is used when a girl is going through significant change in their lives, and cutting their hair is symbolic of that change. This track embodies Tate’s change from your teenage girl next door into an adult who dominates the pop charts consistently. The rest of the album is filled with pure pop music that is very catchy to listen to. Other noteworthy songs off the album are “run for the hills”, “we’re not alike,” and “Calgary.”
Overall, the album has potential of being album of the year for 2024. It has tough competition with the likes of Nicki Minaj, Drake, and Olivia Rodrigo, but there is no doubt it has the firepower to keep up with the competition.
