There’s the A-list, there’s the B-list and then there’s that awkward purgatory between the two. It’s where Tate McRae has been trapped since 2021. But not for lack of effort—she’s dropped hit single after hit single, climbing the charts higher and higher each time. Now, with the release of her album “So Close To What,” she’s at the breakthrough point.

Almost.

Released on Feb. 21, 2025, McRae’s third album should be her ticket to the top. Gone are her sad, indie mumble tracks, replaced by adrenaline-heavy, bass-filled pop hits like “Miss Possessive” and “Sports Car.” “So Close To What” is gutsy and bold—but not unique in a way great albums are. Works like “The Fame,” “1989” and “Future Nostalgia” linger in our collective memories because you can associate them with an artist and their brand. “So Close To What?” Swap McRae with any other up-and-coming pop act, and the fundamentals of the album would have remained unchanged.

“Miss Possessive” has two types of songs: songs that sound distinctly “Tate McRae” and songs that don’t. Take, for example, her three promotional singles: “It’s OK I’m OK,” “2 Hands” and “Sports Car.” Out of the three, “Sports Car” is clearly the strongest. The whispered chorus is catchy beyond belief. The lyrics are fun and easy to remember. And best of all, this is a song I can’t imagine any other artist singing. The melody and beat mesh perfectly with McRae’s mellow, breathy tone of voice and slight under-enunciation.

Yet the track enjoyed the shortest promotional period, sidelined by its predecessors, “It’s OK I’m OK” and “2 Hands.” Neither of them are bad songs, but they’re also not great. “It’s OK I’m OK” is slightly bland. The lyrics are repetitive and the melody is barely there. It’s fine as a filler track on an album, but it simply does not have the personality and distinctiveness necessary to be a lead single. “2 Hands” is slightly more interesting (thanks to it having an actual melody), but that’s the extent of my opinion on the song. Not only is it very similar to “It’s OK I’m OK,” I also don’t find it good or bad enough to warrant judgment.

It’s not as if McRae lacks songs that sound distinctly hers. It’s simply that they aren’t being promoted. “Siren Sounds,” one of her strongest tracks, is a perfect bridge between the ballad-heavy albums of McRae’s past and McRae’s current 2000s-inspired electro-pop style. It blends raw emotion with steady drums and suave synths. A true gem and it’s an absolute shame that it was relegated to irrelevancy when it was turned into a bonus track instead of being on the album proper.

That’s not the only quirk surrounding the tracklist of “So Close To What.” CD and vinyl versions of the album feature a different set of songs than the streaming release: “Bloodonmyhands (ft. Flo Milli),” “I Know Love (ft. The Kid Laroi),” “Like I Do” and “Means I Care” have been swapped out for “Better Than I Was” and “Call My Bluff,” two exclusive bonus tracks.

While the physical exclusive tracks are pretty good, they’re honestly slightly forgettable and feel similar to existing songs (“Run For the Hills” and “Revolving Door” come to mind.) What is a shame is “Bloodonmyhands” being axed. It’s different from McRae’s usual style. The faster beat makes it fun and energetic to listen to, while the higher octave and bubblegum-sweet tone keep it from feeling too overwhelming. Flo Milli’s verse has a satisfying rhythm and adds variety to an otherwise repetitive track. I was very surprised to hear a song like “Bloodonmyhands” featured on “So Close To What,” but it’s quickly become a favorite. Skipping such a loveable, well-made song feels like a massive error.

When McRae shines, she shines bright. Her flaw? Her failure to play to her strengths and capitalize on her successes. “So Close To What” is a B-tier album not due to lack of talent or artistic missteps, but shoddy marketing. It’ll be a success commercially, but not culturally. It’s not “the” album McRae has been seeking for. She did get one crucial detail right: she’s so very close to becoming the next pop sensation. All the cards McRae needs for success are in her hand. It just depends on how well she plays the game.