One of the biggest up-and-coming artists—Tate McRae—released her second album “Think Later” on Dec. 8. McRae gained a large following for her music after the 2020 “you broke me first” release, specifically on the social media platform Tiktok. She additionally marked her presence in the music industry by landing her spot on the “Billboard Hot 100” for 38 weeks in 2020. A little less than four years later, she produced, filmed music videos, and released her most popular collection of songs.

A concise and rich-with-meaning 14-song tracklist received over 16 million streams within the first 98 hours of being posted on Spotify. McRae released “greedy” and “exes,” both receiving over a million streams on Spotify the day they were dropped, as singles a few months prior to the whole album being dropped. The two received great feedback from listeners, and I completely understand why

These two songs, in addition to “run for the hills,” are my top three favorites.  All three have received the most attention from Spotify listeners, accounting for most of the album’s streams. Specifically, “greedy” has been compared to Nelly Furtado’s “Promiscuous,” and that’s saying something, especially for someone as young and new to the music industry as McRae. Although I first heard “greedy” on Tiktok and didn’t think much of it, when the song came out as a single in September 2023, I became exceptionally excited for “Think Later” as there would be 13 additional tracks with the same energy, catchiness, and feel as “greedy.” 

Enter “exes”—my favorite Tate McRae song, regardless of album. For me, “exes” was one of those songs that you play on repeat day in and day out. I listen to it so much I would be surprised if it didn’t show up on my Spotify Wrapped at the end of the year. In addition to McRae’s two singles before “Think Later,” my favorite non-single track is “run for the hills.” The upbeat and pop sound within the song makes the song not only catchy, but presents deep emotion and meaning. 

Although the album far exceeded my expectations,  one flaw to McRae and “Think Later” is that I wish the songs were longer in duration. Most of the songs range from under two to about two and a half minutes. McRae’s style in songwriting is short and sweet, but I, and likely many other listeners, would prefer longer song durations. 

“Think Later” received additional attention when the singer announced she would be embarking on “Think Later World Tour” starting in 2024 first in Dublin, Ireland, and with shows across Europe, North America and more. 

Overall, McRae’s “Think Later” album is her ticket to becoming one of the most popular pop musicians in the world. I think this album allowed her to make her mark on the industry and the future only holds the best for McRae and her music. 

⅘ paws