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Upon its release,So Close to What was met with generally positive reviews from music critics and topped the record charts in Australia,Austria,Canada,Flanders,Ireland,the Netherlands,New Zealand,Norway,Switzerland,and the United States. To promote the album,McRae is set to embark on the Miss Possessive Tour throughout North America,South America,and Europe in 2025.
Background and release
After releasing her second studio album,Think Later (2023),McRae embarked on its supporting concert tour.[6][7] The album produced "Greedy" (2023),which was one of her highest-charting singles.[8] Shortly following the release,McRae was reported to have returned to the recording studio on January 23,2024.[9] In March 2024,McRae confirmed that she had returned to the studio and was "writing and seeing what first comes to mind right now,especially since it's so quickly after my album just dropped".[10] As the first leg of her 2024 Think Later World Tour came to a close in August 2024,the singer further confirmed that she had been working on her upcoming album alongside touring.[11]
On November 14,2024,McRae announced the release of her third studio album through social media.[12] According to a press release,So Close to What is set to capture "the journey of growing up when the road ahead feels infinite".[13]So Close to What offers an "introspective exploration of self-discovery,love,and searching for balance" in uncertain times.[14] On January 16,a version of the album intended for its physical release leaked online,which spurred McRae to write two extra songs for the album.[15] The final track listing was eventually revealed through her Instagram account on February 12,2025.[16] The album was released on February 21,2025.[17][18]
In support of the album, the singer is set to embark on the Miss Possessive Tour, which is set to span 56 dates across North America, South America and Europe, with supporting acts Benee and Zara Larsson.[19][20][21][22] During the Think Later World Tour, McRae previously played three unreleased songs off the album at a pop-up event in Sydney.[23]
Singles
"It's OK I'm OK" was released as the album's lead single on September 12, 2024.[24] The song debuted at number 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, marking McRae's highest debuting single at the time.[25] The song received positive reviews and was released alongside a music video directed by Hannah Lux Davis.[26] Various remixes of the song was release, alongside a live performance version from her performance at Madison Square Garden.[27] The song went on to be the first inaugural number one on the Billboard US Hot Dance/Pop Songs chart.[28]
"2 Hands" was released as the album's second single on November 14, 2024, alongside a motorsport-themed music video.[29] The song debuted and peaked at number 41 on the Hot 100 and number 22 on the Canadian Hot 100.[30] The third single, "Sports Car", was released on January 24, 2025.[31] The song received positive reviews and debuted at number 21 on the Hot 100.[32] "Revolving Door" was released as the fourth single alongside the album's release on February 21, 2025.[33] A music video for the song premiered on the same date.[34][35]
On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized score out of 100 to ratings from mainstream publications, the album received a weighted mean score of 74 based on ten reviews, indicating "generally favorable".[36] The sound of So Close to What was compared favourably to that of 2000s pop artists Britney Spears and the Pussycat Dolls.[38][3][40] In a four-star review, Shannon Garner of Clash praised McRae's "ability to blend introspective vulnerability with infectious pop sensibilities".[38] In a three-star review, Will Hodgkinson of The Times described the album as "serviceable but unremarkable pop".[41] In a negative review, Clare Martin of Paste described the album as lacking in energy, unmemorable, and "with a few exceptions... decidedly mid."[39]
Commercial performance
United States
In the United States, So Close to What debuted atop the Billboard 200, with first-week sales of 177,000 album-equivalent units (consisting of 137.30 million on-demand streams and 71,000 pure album sales). With this feat, So Close to What marks McRae's highest sales and streaming week across all her studio projects as well as her first number one album on the chart. Furthermore, So Close to What marked the biggest debut week by units for a studio album by a woman in five months, since Sabrina Carpenter's Short n' Sweet.[43]
An eleven-track digital edition of the album is available on Apple Music with an altered track listing; "Bloodonmyhands", "I Know Love", "Like I Do" and "Means I Care" are omitted, and "2 Hands" is placed as the tenth track.[44]
Physical editions of the album feature an altered track listing of 13 tracks. "Bloodonmyhands", "I Know Love", "Like I Do" and "Means I Care" are omitted. "Signs" and "Revolving Door" are listed as tracks five and seven, respectively, with bonus tracks "Better than I Was" and "Call My Bluff" listed as tracks eleven and twelve, respectively. The rest of the songs remain in their original order.[45]
A 21-track deluxe digital store edition includes Sirius XM live versions of "Sports Car", "It's OK I'm OK", and "Greenlight" as bonus tracks, following after the 18-track edition.
↑ "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 09.Týden 2025 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
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