CMAT has today announced EURO-COUNTRY, her third studio album and self-described “most important record” yet. It drops Friday 29 August via AWAL Recordings and comes armed with a whip-smart lead single, “Running/Planning”, out now.
Fresh from a sold-out Australian run — the Irish pop-country phenomenon is now gearing up for her biggest shows to date, including London’s O2 Academy Brixton, Dublin’s 3Arena, and a slot at Glastonbury.
Despite this being album number three, CMAT — aka Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson — already feels like she’s been part of the pop culture bloodstream forever. Maybe it’s the award-snagging sophomore LP (Crazymad, For Me) that launched her into the critical stratosphere, earning BRITs nods, Mercury buzz, and that coveted Choice Music Prize win back home. Maybe it’s just the magic of a pop star who really gives a shit.
The new album was recorded in New York, co-produced by long-time collaborator Oli Deakin and CMAT herself, and it digs deep into big, crunchy themes: economic anxiety, grief, identity, and the weirdness of fame. It’s not just country gone Euro — it’s pop gone psychoanalytical.
“Running/Planning’ is about having to chase your own tail to be good enough to exist. It’s an abstracted view of societal pressure on women – specifically through a relationship lens: You start dating someone, you get engaged, you get married, you have kids etc etc etc… everything has to follow this linear pattern. (That’s the reason for the repetitive chorus!). And the minute you don’t follow that path, your mam starts giving out to you. That narrow path that everyone is supposed to be on… the minute you get outside of that, it gets incredibly stressful. And I don’t know anyone who is like, ‘Yeah, love this!”
CMAT still deals in emotional gut-punches wrapped in glitter, but this time, the stakes are higher. The contradictions have teeth: drama and wit, self-effacing humour and heartache.
Pre-order/save the new album HERE.
Download ‘Running/Planning’ HERE.
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