London-based singer-songwriter CATLEA (they/them), originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, has returned with ‘Someone’s Got To’, a strikingly intimate new single that marks their most emotionally candid release to date. Released alongside the announcement of the forthcoming EP Aftermath, the track offers a deeply personal glimpse into a project shaped by resilience, recovery and self-discovery.
Known for refusing to be confined by one sound, CATLEA has steadily built a catalogue that moves between alternative rock, indie, Americana, pop and electronic music. While previous releases have showcased that stylistic versatility, ‘Someone’s Got To’ strips everything back. Built around acoustic guitar, live drums and spacious production, the song places its emotional weight squarely on CATLEA’s heartfelt vocal performance and deeply introspective songwriting.
The single was written during a pivotal period in the artist’s life, chronicling their journey towards sobriety after years of struggling with alcohol addiction. Rather than focusing solely on hardship, the song explores the difficult but empowering process of learning to value yourself when everything else feels uncertain.
The spark came from a single lyric that arrived during a late-night moment of reflection: “If you won’t love me, then I will.” That line became the emotional core of a song that follows the slow process of untangling unhealthy patterns, confronting dependency and embracing self-love as an essential part of recovery.
Throughout the track, the repeated refrain evolves from sounding like a plea for acceptance into a confident declaration of self-belief. That progression mirrors the realities of recovery itself, where healing rarely comes all at once but instead through the daily decision to keep moving forward.
Reflecting on the song’s beginnings, CATLEA explains, “When I originally wrote the song, it wasn’t written with the intention of getting better, it was more of a hopeful thing; an acknowledgment that I needed to love myself more and take better care of myself, because I wasn’t doing that at the time.”
The road to finishing the song proved just as significant as writing it. An emotional breakdown during a recording session in Barcelona left the track unfinished, becoming a defining moment in CATLEA’s decision to confront their addiction.
“The song sat unfinished after an emotional breakdown during a Barcelona studio session,” they recall. “We tried to record it, and it just wasn’t working, I messed up the session because I was drunk when I should have been working. I remember collapsing on the floor and crying. That collapse became a turning point to change.”
Only after committing to sobriety did the artist feel able to complete the recording.
“Months later, after quitting drinking for good, I returned to the song and was finally able to record the choruses,” CATLEA says. “Cosmically, it felt like ‘Someone’s Got To’ wasn’t allowed to exist until it was true. Finishing the track required myself to live the vow the lyric had set, to find the strength to love myself.”
The result is a song that resonates far beyond its autobiographical roots, offering an uplifting message to anyone navigating addiction, recovery or a period of profound personal change. As the first preview of Aftermath, it suggests CATLEA’s forthcoming EP will be their most personal and emotionally resonant work yet.
The release arrives during a period of sustained momentum for the independent artist. CATLEA has amassed more than 15 million streams across digital platforms, over 1.2 million YouTube views and more than 23,000 radio plays on over 450 stations worldwide. Their sold-out Language Barrier album launch in Camden, hosted by BBC Radio 1 presenter Maia Beth, further cemented their growing reputation on the UK live circuit.
Having performed more than 60 UK shows in the past 15 months, CATLEA recently completed two national tours supporting Betty Boo’s Boomania 35 anniversary celebrations before embarking on their own 2026 Lost Souls Tour: Music for the Unseen. Alongside their live work, they have collaborated with hip-hop artist Tom Penny on ‘Summer’s Done’, launched Warning Shot Studio to support emerging songwriters, and attracted coverage in more than 200 articles and reviews.
With ‘Someone’s Got To’, CATLEA delivers a powerful statement of survival, vulnerability and hope. It is both a deeply personal reflection and a universal reminder that lasting change often begins with the decision to show yourself the compassion you’ve been searching for elsewhere.