This is Tate McRae’s first album release after many successful singles. I have been looking forward to this album because I feel like McRae is very good at compiling complex emotions into her lyrics.
?: Not technically an actual song but I think it is a good intro to the album. I like how it explains the title of the album by saying at the end “I used to think I could fly”.
Don’t Come Back: I am obsessed with the beginning of this song. Just the instrument in the beginning has such an upbeat vibe to this song that I feel like it needs it. This album has a lot of the theme of getting over a relationship, especially one that was toxic. The lyrics are a little repetitive but I do enjoy the message that it is bringing across of not going back to a bad situation. I also do enjoy how it is very fast paced and easy to scream in the car.
I’m So Gone: This next song also continues on the same theme as “Don’t Come Back” very similar to the whole “I’m never coming back to you because you hurt me”. It has as a lot more bass than the last song, still kind of repetitive but honestly I do enjoy it.
What Would You Do?: Again with the “never coming back” take but it is set pre-leaving the relationship in asking a hypothetical. Personally I think in the order of the album it should have been first but that is just me being very picky. This song was also a single before the album came out so again another factor on why I think it should be sooner in the album. My favorite part of this song is definitely minute 2:00-2:18 because it has very high potential on the screaming in the car chart.
Chaotic: This was the first song from this album I heard. I was listening to it in the car with my best friend driving down the highway at night and that was the absolute perfect setting for this song. It changes the entire album from what it was before because it is a lot more of a deep emotional reflection rather than a reaction to someone else. Growing up is hard and I truly feel like this song really perfectly encompasses that with friendships, relationships, and mental health.
Hate Myself: This song really kind of hurts to listen to, it is easily the saddest song on the album. It puts the blame of a failed relationship not on the other person but yourself which I feel for most breakups is inevitable at some point. Mental health is a big theme in this specific song and how hard it is to help your mind and also be there for another person.
What’s Your Problem?: We get back to a more upbeat part of the album with this song. The lyrics are still kind of sad but also angry at the same time. I really like the way that this song acknowledges red flags in a relationship but still talks about being sad about the relationship even though it was toxic.
She’s All I Wanna Be: A complete turn around with this song, instead of focusing on the partner in a relationship it focuses more on the “other girl” trope. Comparing herself to some other girl that her partner likes more. This whole album to me really encompasses the different stages of most breakups and this is one that I feel like not a lot of songs talk about, the insecurity of comparing yourself to the next person your ex is with. I also really do like the fast pace of this song. I feel like it matches with what the lyrics are saying.
Boy X: I absolutely love the storytelling of this song. The way that it goes through different people really makes it so you can put yourself into the song very easily. There’s not much else I can say about it but I wish there was because I truly love this one.
You’re So Cool: Okay so maybe it’s just the fact that I love songs that I can personally relate to but I think this song is my favorite on the album. It also is the highest on the screaming in the car chart I personally think. The buildup at 2:15-2:20 feels amazing to listen to at full volume speaking from experience. And I really just love the way that McRae’s voice sounds but especially in this specific song.
I Feel Like Shit: This song had me absolutely sobbing. I changed my mind. This one is the saddest song on the album not “Hate Myself”. This is a song that you listen to by yourself in your bedroom in the pitch black at three in the morning, I may or may not be speaking from experience. “I won’t lie I thought I might die, I couldn’t sleep at all” just feels like very powerful lyrics. And this song pretty much sets the mood for the rest of the album.
Go Away: Not being enough for someone you love is a feeling that a lot of people can relate to I think. Then that same person not being able to leave your mind also hurts so much. I think that this song embodies both feelings very well. The buildup towards the end of the song doesn’t hit the same way that it does in previous songs but that also might be intentional due to the message of the song.
I Still Say Goodnight: Another heart wrenching song on this album. This one has more themes of denial than any of the other songs which I do like because I feel like it makes the album come full circle with all the most common emotions of a breakup. A very sad slow ending to the album but overall a great song that could easily make someone cry. Maybe that should not be the main way I rate songs but it has worked for me up to this point so I will continue.
Overall I really enjoyed this album and found it very easy to relate to. It was a little repetitive in a lot of the songs but I feel that most songs are these days and it does not bother me personally but may bother someone else. The only thing that I would change is I don’t really like the order of the songs on the album. I feel like they could have been put on the album in a more thought out way but again that may just be me being extremely picky.
