Tomlinson releases her debut EP Missing. “Missing” brings back the softer tracks, “Let You In” and “Muse” and marries them beautifully into an indie, pop, rock fusion record. “Bad for me”, “Before I Lose You”, “Ruby Soho”, and the title track, “Missing” polish off this six-track EP. Cate demonstrates her versatility as an artist playing with every sound from soft pop to rock. This singer proves she can do it all.
The EP includes both past releases and new singles for Cate including:
Muse: Tomlinson follows up debut single, “Lies”, with the guitar-heavy track “Muse”. With crisp vocals and a beautiful sense of lyricism, Cate creates a hard-hitting track that creates an alternative landscape to pretty pop vocals. Tomlinson says “I feel like [Muse] captures the best parts about starting to like someone, when everything’s going really well and you’re just vibing. It was one of those songs that fell into place really easily while writing because it’s kind of a stream of consciousness. The whole song is like the constant feeling of being hopeful.”
Let You In: Cate taps into a new level of vulnerability with her newest longing love song. Ethereal vocals blend beautifully with a simple and vibey track. This track is youthful and shows a young perspective on love and desire, the perfect balance of alluring vocals and vulnerability. Tomlinson says “I’m so excited to share ‘Let You In’ because it’s the favorite of my songs so far, and it’s a look into who I want to be as an artist”. Of her newest single, “‘Let You In’ is about the very small moments you have with the person you like, when you’re second-guessing everything but pretty sure they like you back. The chorus is kind of stripped down to emphasize the moment you realize they do feel the same way, and you can finally let down your guard and trust that person.”
And new tracks like Before I Lose You: A mysterious blend of her existing singer-songwriter and the flare of a more electro-pop track, “Before I Lose You” is a powerful addition to Cate’s growing musical resumé. Silky and sultry vocals demonstrate Tomlinson’s maturity and control even as a young artist. A grungy groove out track, “Before I Lose You” does not lose any of Tomlinson’s authenticity and vulnerability as a songwriter. Of the single, Tomlinson says: “Before I Lose You came out of a really uncomfortable situation. I made a mistake and it was the first time I was the person in a friendship who had really messed up, and it was on me to repair our relationship, swallow my pride and apologize.”
On the EP Tomlinson said: “I’ve been writing since my freshman year of high school, and it took until the beginning of my senior year to write Missing—the first song I listened back to on a voice memo and genuinely wanted people to hear. The rest of the songs fell together pretty naturally and ended up capturing almost every emotional experience I had in my high school senior and college freshman years: ‘Let You In’ is the exhilaration when someone shows you they like you back; ‘Before I Lose You’ is the carried guilt when trying to repair a broken friendship; ‘Muse’ is the state of hope you live in when you have a crush; ‘Bad For Me’ is the frustration and anger that comes with getting screwed over; ‘Missing’ is about manipulation and obsessing over being the one to hold the power in a relationship; and I covered Rancid’s ‘Ruby Soho,’ so my goal was to make something that was completely unlike me (sonically) into a song I can now perform and click with on a deeper level. Because the songs were written and produced over the last year and a half, I’ve had time to develop as an artist and experiment with different sounds. There’s an element of rock on a couple of songs that I hadn’t envisioned when writing them, but allowing myself to be influenced by that genre ended up helping me express myself more accurately than sticking to a more traditional, pop style. I like that all the songs sound a little different from each other. My hope is that there’s something for everyone to enjoy.”
About Cate: Cate Tomlinson is a 19-year-old singer, songwriter, and performing artist from San Francisco. Her music is inspired by pop, soul, and rock and roll. The young self-made artist now based out of Boston is working to develop her unique voice as an artist at Northeastern University as a Music Industry major. Continuing to explore her craft and passion, this young vocalist is bound to make waves this year.
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Press Release by Hannah Schneider @ Unheard Gems