Love songs don’t get more intimate—and quietly intense—than “It’s You,” the 2019 single that transformed Toronto’s Ali Gatie into the city’s next R&B phenomenon. Over a gently plucked acoustic guitar line, Gatie’s amorous intimations turn increasingly anxious, as if he’s already bracing for the heartache that follows the ecstasy of blossoming romance. He continued to gracefully pirouette along the line separating desire and doubt on his deceptively breezy follow-up hit “What If I Told You That I Love You.” However, 2021 single “Can’t Let You Go” sees him shake off his signature chill for a more dramatic display of post-breakup anguish.