By Landon Ungerman
Cameron Cade’s debut album, ‘If You Make It Home for Dinner,’ due August 25, is an exploration of growth, identity, and the complicated mirror that is love.
Cade’s music blends indie, folk, and bedroom pop with a classical foundation—from years of violin lessons to singing a cappella in darkened rooms, eyes closed, voices rising. “It was simple, but it felt so beautiful,” she reflects, describing the profound sense of community she found in college choirs, an experience she now cherishes as vital.
This album emerged during Cade’s first long-term relationship, a journey that forced her to confront patterns she hadn’t fully recognized before. “Being in a relationship—and living with someone so closely—you can’t really hide your flaws and insecurities,” she says. This closeness made her face issues she’d previously overlooked and propelled her into a period of growth: “I’d much rather be in a relationship where I’m challenged to grow than be in a place where I feel stagnant.”
The record wrestles with the elusive idea of the “perfect partner,” an idea that remains undefined by the end of the album. With no reference point besides distorted media portrayals of relationships, Cameron Cade found herself caught in a whirlwind of societal expectations. In her song “Be Your Girl,” she playfully critiques how women in media are pressured to contort themselves, constantly performing and being on display.
“I decided to make a mockery of it. Like yeah, I’ll contort and twist myself however society sees fit. As a woman, I’m performing for people wherever I go. I had to learn how to stop performing and just be.”
This broader struggle for validation became a pattern the Cade had to unlearn as she became closer with another person.
She also explores these ideas visually, drawing on 1950s-60s housewife imagery contrasted with an undercurrent of chaos and unpredictability—the “wild woman” breaking through the polished surface.
Her creative process evolved alongside personal challenges, including being unexpectedly pushed out of a band while recovering from surgery. “They never told me they had already decided to move on,” Cade says. That experience fueled a deeper commitment to herself and her art.
“Any time I’ve felt betrayed or hurt, it ends up lighting a fire in me. Like, I am worth it—even if I’m not worth it to someone else.”
With longtime collaborator Alex Newton and the support of Ego and the growing Friendly Collective community in Denver, Cade is refining her sound and creative vision. This album marks a turning point—not just a collection of songs, but an assertion of self-worth, artistic identity, and a total commitment to self.Cameron Cade’s ‘If You Make It Home for Dinner’ invites listeners into that intimate space—the raw, honest, and sometimes chaotic inner life of a young artist standing firmly in her voice. Stream the album when it releases on August 25th.
