Tate McRae - Too Young To Be Sad

Tate McRae’s second EP, ‘too young to be sad’ is a continuation of the melancholy pop sound showcased on the Canadian singer-songwriter’s first. From unhealthy relationship patterns to second-guessing romantic choices, this is a release full of growing pains. Well-trodden ground it may be, but 17-year-old Tate sounds earnest and convincing, still working out those huge emotions herself. At points the whole thing does threaten to get mired in introspection, with even the gently upbeat moving-on track ‘r u ok’ not quite able to break through the gloominess. Still, it’s all largely a safe play at relatability and the romanticisation of teenage life, one no more perfectly captured than in ‘wish i loved you in the 90s’, an acoustic guitar-washed homage to both the decade and a right-person-wrong-time romance. One of a cohort of young songwriters turning over old cliches for fresh perspectives to huge success among her peers, ‘too young to be sad’ is a solid enough demonstration of what Tate McRae does best.