Isabel Maria ‘Ruin’ Out September 10th

Award-winning NE artist, Isabel Maria, set to release new single recorded in New York today.

Isabel Maria is set to release her atmospheric new single, Ruin, on Thursday 10th September 2026. Recorded just before Halloween in Brooklyn, New York, the song is a thunderous follow-up to her critically acclaimed sophomore EP, Because I Care, which was unveiled in the spring.

Whilst piano driven and lyrically adept, as has become Isabel’s signature, Ruin also brings a sharp new edge to Isabel’s discography. Flitting between moments of emphasis and moments of respite, it balances cinematic, rumbling choruses with paper-soft, breathy sections which feel like Isabel is telling you a secret. Ruin is a song with lots to say, and even more to hide.

“The initial idea was to write a song about how much I hate horror films,” Isabel laughs. “But, as often magically happens when you’re writing a song, the message evolved into something totally different by the end. It’s why songwriting is such a great processing tool – you start out with a vague idea of what you’re feeling, and then by the end it’s like… oh, that’s how I feel!”

“I think the core idea behind Ruin is self sabotage, especially in relationships – sometimes, inside your head, it’s easy to turn the people you love into villains, so you have an excuse to leave and not get hurt. Posing that concept against the imagery of a horror film was fun.”

Rather fittingly, Ruin was recorded the day before Halloween in 2025, at Cloud Union Studio in Brooklyn, New York. Having met producer Chris Gaskell in a songwriting session at Anti Social Camp just a few months prior, the pair reunited for a swift 8 hours of creativity.

“When I found out I’d booked a New York show that autumn, the first thing I did was text Chris and ask if he was going to be around. It was such a serendipitous thing – I mean, what an absolute privilege to get to record in a city like that. We went for a walk on our lunch break and could see the whole skyline over the water. It was literally surreal,” Isabel recalls.

“Chris is a total genius. He’s an insane producer, and he played a bunch of instruments on this song – including some especially sublime double bass. I’m so relieved we met last summer, because I can’t bear the thought of Ruin not sounding exactly the way it does now.”

Listen to Ruin on all platforms from September 10th, and hear it live at Isabel’s biggest Newcastle headline show to date, at Cluny 2 on September 13th.

You can find out more about Isabel Maria here: linktr.ee