Album Review: Tate McRae - THINK LATER | Redbrick Slider (Music)

Tate McRae has returned with her brand new album THINK LATER, an album infused with pop hits and unforgettable lyrics. The album is McRae’s highly anticipated release after her debut and it definitely does not disappoint. The raw lyrics place her after a breakup and how she feels her lover has taken her feelings and emotions for granted, whilst also showing her confident revenge and what they have truly missed out on by letting go.

The album is McRae’s highly anticipated release after her debut and it definitely does not disappoint

THINK LATER first begins with ‘cut my hair’, a raw emotional song dictating McRae’s true feelings fresh after her breakup. ‘Just cut my hair, little black dress, can’t forget / Just wanna show you whatever she do, I can do it better’ highlights how McRae has switched the narrative between her and the girl her lover has supposedly cheated on her with, she wants them to reminisce on how she has done better off without them and truly became ‘that girl’ she once wanted to be.

The two singles in the album ‘greedy’ and ‘exes’ express the confidence that comes with a breakup, and how McRae is encouraging young women to feel more comfortable in their skin and to not rely on attention from others to fulfil this. ‘Oh, I’m sorry, sorry that you love me (ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha) / Changed my mind up like it’s origami’ shows how McRae is changing her mind constantly, much like paper when folded into origami, much to her lover’s dismay. The song overall shows how McRae is encouraging young women to be themselves unapologetically, and not to let others get in their way.

McRae is encouraging young women to feel more comfortable in their skin and to not rely on attention from others to fulfil this

However, in THINK LATER, McRae also shows the emotional vulnerability that came with the relationship with her past lover. ‘run for the hills’ shows how she first felt the thrill of being with her lover but now, post breakup, she saw the true danger of the relationship and the impact it has had on her. ‘Maybe the danger’s covered by the thrill / ‘Cause I know I should be runnin’ for the hills’ shows that the excitement of the beginning of the relationship has eventually masked up the risks at the end.

‘calgary’ and ‘plastic palm trees’ illustrates how exposed and raw McRae felt throughout the relationship, how her childlike self came out when she tried her best to make the relationship last. ‘You said that I always seem to land on my feet / But I got problems hangin’ like a chain ‘round my neck’ in ‘calgary’ highlights that although she may have felt grounded throughout the relationship, she felt weighed down by the expectations of her lover.

‘calgary’ and ‘plastic palm trees’ illustrates how exposed and raw McRae felt throughout the relationship

‘Thought that I was fine sittin’ in the backseat / In the mirror, really looked like I was happy’ in ‘plastic palm trees’ suggests how her lover felt that they could take advantage of McRae’s naivety but it could also be interpreted in terms of McRae’s journey to success and fame. Global audiences first assumed that McRae, as a singer first starting out in the big world, could not have as much impact in the ‘backseat’ but she proved them all wrong.

‘plastic palm trees’ also dictate the false images that come with portraying yourself to the world. Although plastic palm trees are beautiful at a first glance, once you look closer, you can see how artificial and fake they truly are.

Overall, the album is an amazing listen. THINK LATER dictates the confidence that comes with a breakup but also expresses the raw vulnerability that comes with this breakup and the journey to finding yourself again.

Rating – 10/10