ANYTHING BUT LOVE opens with what might be the pettiest first line of 2024: “My dad hates you, my dog hates you, my brother hates you, and I do too.”
Tate McRae isn’t just done with an ex here. She’s polling everyone in her life to make sure they’re done with him too, then compiling the results into a three-minute character assassination. It’s brilliant.
This is the second track from the SO CLOSE TO WHAT??? deluxe edition, and it sounds nothing like the uptempo pop bangers that made McRae a household name.
Co-written with Julia Michaels (who clearly brought her A-game for lyrical venom) and produced by Grant, the song feels like what happens when you’re too angry to dance but too exhausted to shout.
The result is something slower, moodier, and infinitely more cutting than anything on the original album.
Here’s where it gets interesting. The song was reportedly written back in February, well before McRae’s split with The Kid LAROI dominated tabloid headlines in July.
Fans have been quick to connect her deluxe tracks to that breakup, but the timeline doesn’t quite match. Was this written about someone else entirely?
Or did McRae simply have the foresight to keep this weapon in her back pocket, waiting for the right moment to release it? Either way, the timing feels deliberate.
The production builds like you’re watching storm clouds gather over the ocean. Sparse piano opens the track, giving McRae’s voice all the space it needs to deliver that devastating opening salvo.
Her delivery is almost conversational at first, like she’s explaining this situation to a mate at a pub. Then the strings start creeping in, subtle at first, just hinting at something bigger brewing beneath the surface.
Rob Moose’s string arrangement deserves its own paragraph. As the verses progress, those orchestral elements weave through the track with this gorgeous, melancholy weight that transforms what could’ve been a straightforward diss track into something cinematic.
By the pre-chorus, when McRae’s voice drops lower and she asks “Is that really what you want? / ‘Cause I know that you’re not that blunt,” the strings are swelling with this bittersweet richness that makes your chest ache even as you’re cheering her on.
The chorus hits differently than you’d expect. Instead of exploding into rage, McRae keeps her cool: “I got anything but love for you.”
Tom Norris’s mixing work keeps every word crystal clear, even as the production blooms into full orchestral pop territory. It never overwhelms. Her voice stays front and centre, making sure you catch every pointed syllable.
Then there’s verse two, where McRae really twists the knife. She calls out an ex who “only hate[s] ’cause you like the drama” before dropping a reference to Tatiana, her more provocative stage persona. The specificity is what sells it. This isn’t generic breakup fodder. These are receipts.
But the line that’s launched a thousand Reddit threads? “My fans hate you, my friends hate you, and Ryan hates you, and I do too.”
McRae hasn’t confirmed who Ryan is, naturally, but the internet has theories. Could be Ryan Tedder, the OneRepublic frontman who’s worked extensively with McRae on tracks like “Greedy” and the deluxe’s “NOBODY’S GIRL.”
As someone who’s spent countless studio hours with her, he’d definitely have formed opinions about anyone treating her poorly.
Then again, tour footage suggests her bodyguard might actually be named Ryan, and he’s the one who was photographed with her on that boat when breakup rumours first started swirling.
Whoever he is, his inclusion matters. This song isn’t just about heartbreak. It’s about keeping score of everyone who had her back when someone didn’t.
The outro stretches the track’s final moments almost to breaking point. “So take a walk, baby, make it long” repeats as the instrumentation peels back, layer by layer, until you’re left with just McRae’s voice growing softer and more worn down.
It feels exhausting in the best way, like she’s wrung every last drop of feeling from the performance.
If this is where McRae’s heading sonically, sign me up. The grandeur, the orchestral flourishes, the willingness to slow down and sit in discomfort rather than dance through it, these feel like the work of an artist who’s outgrowing the pop princess box and stepping into something more interesting. ANYTHING BUT LOVE proves she’s got the range for it.