Recommended tracks: “Let Me Be Wrong,” “Novelty,” “Tuesday”
Artists you may like: Lizzy McAlpine, Holly Humberstone, Noah Kahan
Jensen McRae is hauntingly poetic on her sophomore album, I Don’t Know How But They Found Me!, featuring 11 tracks including standouts, “Let Me Be Wrong,” “Novelty” and “Tuesday.” McRae’s newest studio album echoes the feeling of a Tracy Chapman record — picture sitting next to a window as you watch the rain pour down with your heart wide open. The singer-songwriter invites listeners to embrace their own healing journeys, reflecting on both the hurt they’ve caused and the pain they’ve had to carry. Love can knock you down, but sometimes it picks you back up.
McRae released a contemporary folk album early in 2022, but quickly became a rising star when she began teasing fan favorite “Massachusetts” in 2023, the first single off of her newest record. McRae released a snippet on TikTok, gaining serious traction among big names in music, with Russ chiming in with a suggestion for its song title and Justin Bieber sharing the clip to his Instagram story. The song creates a sense of longing for something that once was. McRae continues to catch the eye of music lovers all around the world, performing the hit on Jimmy Kimmel Live just days ago.
The musical prodigy takes inspiration from her own love altering experiences, perhaps creating the situationship anthem of the year, “Novelty.” The lyrics speak to what could have been, a missed connection that leaves a lingering memory: “Your roommates gonna hear me leave / In the morning when the novelty has worn off / From having me.” “The Rearranger” speaks on similar themes, following a relationship that seemingly has some hidden issues. She sings, “I play house her in the June gloom / There goes the neighborhood / We don’t talk about the heavy / Am I even in your plans? / If I have your heart forever / Can I have this dance?”
McRae’s reputation precedes her as she continues to write heavy-hearted lyrics, specifically on “Tuesday,” a track so raw it knocks the wind out of you. The piano ballad represents McRae’s emotional baggage after experiencing a one sided relationship and wishing then other person could spend a day in her shoes. She sings, “If you spent a day in my shoes / You’d know how it feels to be used / To me it was all breaking news / But it was just Tuesday to you / Architect of all my wounds / I’ll be forgetting you soon / ‘Til then I don’t know what I’ll do / Cause it was just Tuesday to you.”
“Let Me Be Wrong” is McRae’s pop anthem for letting go of control and embracing the art of being in your twenties. She has finally given herself permission to make mistakes. “Buoyant and joyous and affirming and forgiving,” McRae says. The song was written in 2022 after a tour with MUNA, where she was given the opportunity to sing “Silk Chiffon” with them overnight. McRae wanted to write a song that evoked that same feeling, a song that pushes back against the pressure to maintain a perfectionist persona. She sings, “Free my tongue, go rogue and mean / Like those girls at seventeen / They got glass ceilings an rings / Fuck, those girls got everything / Something twisted in my chest / Says I’m good but not the best / When I was young, that knocked me out / But nothing really shakes me now.”
Keep up with Jensen McRae: Instagram // Website // Spotify // X
