Cate’s “Ruin” is a blushing daydream straight from the honeymoon phase

The exuberant and bubbly energy of singer-songwriter Cate Canning has an iridescent gravitational effect. Two of her latest singles, "Groupie" and "Stupid", have struck a chord with fans for their sincere lyrics and abundantly sugary beats, documenting the coming of age of a 23-year-old woman finding herself in a brand-new city.

Hailing from Vancouver, Cate has been a Camden local for just over two years, and many have revelled in watching her fall in love with London. Her rosy optimism for the city has proven infectious, with her virtual diary entries evoking a nostalgic and joyous picture of a sepia-toned summer love that has become infused into her discography.

Moreover, her friendship circles are the makings of indie-pop dreams, hanging out with Maisie Peters (yes, this is THE Cate from Peters’ single, "Cate’s Brother"), Tommy Lefroy, and Dylan Fraser, among many others. They have become something of a patchwork of conjoined experiences, integral pieces to one another’s jigsaw of learning how to be a young adult in a new city. Cate actively swears by the advice she was given by her fellow songwriters, “you need to live more than you write,” claiming that she knew she has to “experiment and do really dumb shit and learn from it.”

Sharing so much of their experiences online and in their artistry, onlookers are now actively invested in this group’s dynamic. Amassing a legion of fans over TikTok and Instagram, Cate has built a like-minded community who are invested in her effortlessly confessional and effervescent storytelling. “Some of them have group chats that we’ll message in and share the goss, it’s really funny. A lot of the girls are my age as well, so they’ll be like ‘I went through a breakup,’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah me too. It’s great,’” she explains.

Cate’s honesty has also become the very brick-and-mortar of her songwriting. Her latest cut, "Ruin", is a case in point. Written at a time when Cate was “really freaked out about dating and my life, and was figuring myself out constantly,” the track catches her in a moment of blushing daydream over new love. It toys with feeling so strongly for someone that your mind races ahead of you and fears the irreparable emotional damage if anything was to ever go wrong in the future. This anxiety comes with a wink, though. “You’re gonna ruin a lot of good things for me / Maybe this whole entire city by the time that I leave,” she sings in such a way that we can hear her smiling throughout – this love is one that is worth taking a shattered heart on.

“"Ruin" is the first single from my new EP which was written during my first and second year of living in London,” she tells BEST FIT. “I really think this new project is almost a love letter to this city. I’ve learned many many things since my move and I’m ecstatic for you to hear them through the songs. This [is one] for yelling at the top of your lungs!!”

Perfumed with pop, the production of "Ruin" is equally enveloping as its lyrical sway. The track wanders over a gentle but warming build, with increasingly intense instrumentation and vocal layering, so that by the last chorus the listener feels part of its rich fabric. It is hard to avoid making the inevitable Taylor Swift comparison, with the evocative storytelling and temperate production. However, like some kind of fairy dust, Cate sprinkles her own effervescence into the mix, stamping her as a generational voice to watch.