Cmat

Euro-country Cmat

It’s almost inconceivable that it’s only five years since the arrival of CMAT, as she approaches the release of her third album, Euro-Country. This BRITs / Mercury / Ivors-nominated acronymic star feels like she’s been part of the culture forever—and what has endeared fans to her heartsore tunes and humour is CMAT’s ability to combine contradictory themes and moods: wide-eyed drama with self-deprecation.

Country music has always been a lynchpin for CMAT, but this is country in an augmented, reimagined way. Mixed with classic indie and affirmative soul-pop, it resists the music industry’s desire to pigeonhole artists as one genre. Not only is there a palpable tonal shift, Euro-Country also feels like a huge step up creatively.

There is a sense of determination, of urgency, of ‘gather round and listen up’. From re-evaluating where you come from (geographically, metaphorically) and the impact of economics on a small country, to the attention that comes with increased fame (not all of it good) and being a woman in the music industry.