Jensen McRae's 'Massachusetts': Full release exceeds teaser hype.
Jensen McRae's newest single 'Massachusetts' was long-awaited by eager fans on TikTok who flocked to the piano version she posted back in November 2023. Mcrae is a favourite among the songwriting community on social media, and was no doubt under a lot of pressure to produce this song into something the masses would cling to, the way they did with the demo. Jensen absolutely delivered.
The second verse is just as lyrically dense as the first, talking about the subject's sister 'trying for a baby lately', and other such details one would only expect to hear on Phoebe Bridgers' debut album 'Stranger in the Alps'. The studio version is acoustic guitar-heavy, unlike the original version, which brings a delightful sense of pace and movement, matching the heavy, sweltering feeling of permanence which the song explores. As ever with Jensen, the bridge is an emotional sucker-punch with her belting 'I'm not trying to find you, babe, you're just around'.
The magical irony of this song is that this song will undoubtedly go on to be as pervasive as its subject; anytime you think of Massachusetts, pilgrim ashtrays, Batman or Christian Bale, you will inevitably remember this song. In that way, McRae has achieved the songwriter's ultimate project, to memorialise beyond one's own memory.