CMAT – AN ARTIST SPOTLIGHT AND ALBUM REVIEW
By Ralph Beauchamp
You may not know who CMAT is at the current moment but that will change real soon. The Irish indie pop star just released her third full length entitled EURO-COUNTRY and the album will skyrocket CMAT to the heavenly horizons. Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson (CMAT) is a brilliant songwriter whose music seems light hearted and innocent but throws a mean social punch. She uses whimsical sarcasm as a means to spoon feed her listeners poignant social issues. In addition, CMAT is a dynamic front person who seamlessly develops a close bond with her adoring fans. Her band, The Very Sexy CMAT Band, perfectly meshes with CMAT‘s ambitious style.
CMAT‘s first offering was If My Wife New I’ll Be Dead (2022) which fostered the hit song “Peter Bogdanovich”. The black & white video features CMAT portraying the infamous actor/director. Her second album was Crazymad, For Me (2023) which shot CMAT into the musical limelight. Both records entered the Irish Albums Charts at Number One. An amazing feat for such a young artist. All the while, CMAT amassed multiple awards and accolades while building a considerable fanbase in Europe and around the world.
The whole feel of EURO-COUNTRY is totally singular. Produced by CMAT and long time collaborator Oli Deakin, each song has its own vibe and signature. CMAT destroys genre stereotypes and cross pollinates her tracks with elements of country, pop, soul and whatever she wants and it all works beautifully. Again, she uses her satirical lyrics in a total novel fashion. The music is light hearted and accessible but deep down CMAT slams social deterioration and corporate capitalism. Speaking off the release, CMAT states
“And on a wider level, EURO-COUNTRY is the name I’ve given to the pain of the loss of community that has happened over the last twenty to thirty years. Nobody is hanging out anymore, nobody is talking to each other, nobody is living together anymore. The shape of life, not just family life, but adult life, has completely transformed from the way it was before the internet and gig economy and I feel like it’s so responsible for so much of the societal and mental health issues that are really drilling everyone under the age of 35 right now. It feels so individualistic. It feels like such a product of late capitalism. And I couldn’t get it out of my head.”
There are so many tracks on EURO-COUNTRY that are just sonically sublime. “EURO-COUNTRY” echoes with country accents and dreamy vocals. CMAT‘s voice floats dramatically through the air. “When A Good Man Cries” is another countrified jewel. The ballad bristles with divine textures and gutsy inflections. “Take A Sexy Picture Of Me” is a farcical romp with underlining biting lyrics. The closing song, “Running/Planning” is a soulful tempest filled with a lush soundscape and a brazen arrangement.
CMAT is poised to conquer the entire universe. She will steamroll into every person’s heart and soul. Jump on the bandwagon early so you can have bragging rights.
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