i used to think i could fly

Up-and-coming pop artist Tate McRae released her debut album i used to think i could fly this past Friday, a monumental step for someone who not so long ago was uploading YouTube videos her playing made-up songs on her electric keyboard. It is exciting to think of the potential that her future career holds and of the ways in which her sound and style will evolve. With so much already accomplished at age 18, we can only speculate about what great things she has yet to do.

That said, I was excited to experience the album on its release day, and from listening to and reflecting on the album I hope to produce a thoughtful overview of the work and to consider the progression of McRae's music.

The twelve songs on the album are split between happier tracks with rock or trap beats and sadder, slower ballad-esque pieces. The former group includes don't come back, i'm so gone, what would you do?, what's your problem?, she's all i wanna be, and you're so cool. The latter includes chaotic, hate myself, boy x, feel like shit, go away, and i still say goodnight. One could argue that this split makes the album feel a little scattered, but I think they are relatively well arranged within the album, and, as I remembering thinking when hearing a similar critique of Olivia Rodrigo's Sour, this is exactly what the teenage experience is like: a constant up and down of euphoria and distress.

Four of the tracks were released before the album as singles: what would you do, chaotic, she's all i wanna be, and feel like shit. All are solid songs. For me, chaotic is the least memorable, but I think that is something highly subject to personal preference. feel like shit is classic Tate McRae, feeling like a natural follow-up to the very successful you broke me first. Finally, what would you do and she's all i wanna be opt for peppier, rock-type beats, the former being the most recently released and definitely something I can see becoming a hit song for the summer months of 2022.

Together, these songs capture the largest musical aesthetics for the album, but that doesn't mean it is restrained to these styles. In particular, the other upbeat tracks stand out for their more trap-style beats. what's your problem? and you're so cool are to me the more memorable of these for their snappy, catchy beats. In general, see see these as the standout non-single tracks on the album and they are foreseeably the ones I will be listening to the most in the future. They represent a different aspect of McRae's music that I would love to see her explore more in the future. She has a unique yet versatile voice, and as such can lend herself to exciting takes on multiple genres.

The remaining tracks stick a little closer to the style McRae is known for, as does feel like shit as I mentioned above. She harnesses her voice to create a distinct sad, flowing that envelops the listener. I don't have complaints with these songs, but they aren't likely to become go-to listens for me. I do think i still say goodnight is an excellent choice for a final song, providing a sort of lullaby sendoff.

All in all, I believe this is a solid album. Sure, the mood can sometimes feel a little scattered and one might question lyrical choices at times (for example, some will probably consider much of the profanity to be superfluous) but I believe that i used to think i could fly is worth experiencing.

Congrats to Tate McRae on this accomplishment and happy listening to new and returning fans of this promising artist.