#cmat singer

[aworldofpattern]

CMAT at the Mercury Music Prize 2024 award ceremony, wearing custom Oran Aurelio corset printed with her 'Crazymad, For Me' album cover.

Album artwork by Artbox London artist Seatton.

[haveyoulistenedtothisalbum-poll]

Tracklist:

Nashville • I Don't Really Care for You • Peter Bogdanovich • No More Virgos • Lonely • Groundhog Day • Communion • Every Bottle (Is My Boyfriend) • 2 Wrecked 2 Care • Geography Teacher • I Wanna Be a Cowboy, Baby! • I'd Want U

Spotify ♪ YouTube

[reckonslepoisson]

Crazymad, for Me, CMAT (2023)

I still ain’t over the whole Irish-Nashville thing, but there’s a lot to be admired in CMAT’s sound: I particularly like how she shoves personality into her confessional lyrics and all-blazing compositional style, as well as her knack for a belting hook or two.

Pick: ‘Can’t Make Up My Mind’

[shockyhorror]

Crazymad, For Me is the sophomore album of Irish singer-songwriter CMAT, released October 2023.

The title is a line from Sheena Easton's 1980 single Morning Train (Nine to Five)

"...She was like 19 and it was the early 1980s. And the whole premise of that song is that she’s a woman who’s just got married and she just sits at home all day waiting for her husband to come home because she loves him so much." "If you read it today, that’s a horror story [...] so I thought it was a really good analogy for the whole album because the record is about a relationship that I was in when I was 19. And at the time, I thought 'This is so romantic, amazing, beautiful, perfect, and wonderful.' And now I’m 27, and I look back on it like 'What the fuck was that? That was terrible.'"

[no-tengo-ojos]

Hee hee hoo hoo! Music nerd time! In this edition, my favourite music award The Mercury Prize!

The Mercury Prize has been a long running award for British artists to determine the album of the year. Most recently the Leeds band English Teacher won the award for their 2024 album 'This Could be Texas' on 05/09/2024 (today).

I saw this band perform live at Truck Fest 2024 and met two of my greatest friends in the crowd so needless to say, this band means a lot to me and my group. This was also the first gig the band had played since they'd been nominated for the prize the day prior. And I mean it when I say that was the best gig of the year for me. The atmosphere of the crowd and the genuine joy from the band playing was just euphoric.

It was also during this gig that the lead singer, Lily Fontaine, climbed the barrier and held my hand during their song 'Nearly Daffodils' and chat, I have never felt gayer.

I first discovered English Teacher through the Netflix adaption of Lockwood & Co. which featured their song 'A55' which they also played during their set (which also became the first time I'd cried to live music). Like many fans of L&C, I clung to that OST after the show was unfortunately cancelled after just one series. English Teacher remain one of the few bands that are still performing (the loss of Joy Divison has taken its toll on all of us) so seeing 'A55' live was an emotional moment.

Their win is also especially important for fellow up and coming bands on the post-punk scene as they were up against the likes of Charli XCX's 'Brat' (named 'Album of the Summer') and The Last Dinner Party's 'Prelude to Ecstasy', both of which were favourites for the prize.

And though I've sung the praises of English Teacher here, I shouldn't forget to mention my other favourites from this years selection:

Nia Archives - Silence is Loud

ooooooh what an album. My introduction to Jungle and another Leeds act. Silence is loud has been the most influential album for me this year. It's introduced me to a genre that has so many facets (and no I definitely didn't find it by misclicking on the suggested search options on YouTube when looking for TMA animatics).

Charli XCX - Brat

I don't even need to say anything. Just watch the video for the 'Guess' re-release with Billie Eilish.

CMAT - Crazymad, For Me

I have had two CMAT gigs scheduled this year. One was cancelled because of a storm (fuck you English weather) and the other was cut short due to a storm (fuck you English weather). CMAT is an Irish country/pop act for the girls and the gays. Also the cowboys. Michael Walters would like her.

And that concludes the round up for now! See you next week for the VMAs!!!

xoxo

Lotte

[dovesmelodyproject]

Scowl, Zulu, Speed, Pest Control, Negative Frame and Overpower have withdrawn from this week's Download festival due to sponsor Barclays' links to defence contractors and weapons manufacturers who arm the Israeli military.  This follows similar boycotts of SXSW, The Great Escape and Latitude music festivals. When announcing plans to boycott Latitude, Irish singer/songwriter CMAT stated that Barclays "invested over £100 Million into General Dynamics which provides gun systems to the fighter jets which are being used by Israel to bombard Gaza." Earlier today, June 10, Leeds crossover thrash band Pest Control became the first act to withdraw from Download, due to the involvement of Barclays: Barclaycard is listed on the Partners section of the festival website as the 'Official Payment Partner of Liquid Death presents Download Festival'. Posting on their social media accounts, the band, who had been set to play The Courtyard Stage on June 12, and the Dogtooth Stage on June 16, state: "We have made the decision to pull out of our upcoming shows at Download festival this week (Wednesday 12 June + Sunday 16th June). "This is due to us taking part in the boycott against Barclays bank, who are Download festival's payment partner and sponsor. Barclays bank oversees billions of dollars in investments and loans to companies whose weapons and technology are used in Israel’s onslaught against the Palestinian people. We will not take part in an event whose sponsor profits from facilitating a genocide. "We're sorry to anyone who was looking forward to seeing us perform. This is something we've been looking forward to for the best part of a year and was a big milestone for us as a band. However, we cannot sacrifice the principles held by this band and by the scene we come from and represent, just for personal gain.” The band asked fans to look at the Bands Boycott Barclays Instagram page for more information on the boycott.

[dear-indies]

idk if anyone has mentioned her yet but CMAT (irish singer) has tweeted out support for palenstine and more recently has urged people to boycott eurovision for platforming israel

I'm sorry I didn't reply sooner too but she's now added and she's soooo pretty! 💌

[thebowerypresents]

CMAT – Music Hall of Williamsburg – April 9, 2024

Influenced by the likes of Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash and Katy Perry, Dublin singer-songwriter CMAT crafts cheerful pop earworms.

On her second studio full-length, last October’s Crazymad, for Me, “The imaginative complexities required for a concept album often take a while to gestate, usually coming further down the line in an artist’s career. Not for CMAT,” raves The Line of Best Fit. “She’s an artist who has hit a creative purple patch on album number two; imagining, and delivering, a story worthy of its creator’s prowess.”

With just a pair of dates remaining on her current tour, CMAT headlined a sold-out Music Hall of Williamsburg on Tuesday night.

Photos courtesy of Katie Dadarria | @dadarria

[qudachuk]

Leeds StylusTouring her masterly new album, one of the best of this year, Irish country-pop auteur Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson brings unruly energy, wit and guitar heroics to her searing tales of heartbreakCMAT – Irish country-pop singer Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson...

[antonio-velardo]

Antonio Velardo shares: CMAT Makes Country Music Sad, Smart and Strange by Roisin Kiberd

By Roisin Kiberd The singer combines the genre’s enduring themes of heartbreak and self-destruction with camp humor and a distinctly Irish sense of the absurd. Published: October 12, 2023 at 11:13AM from NYT Arts https://ift.tt/n6mT9bE via IFTTT

[aworldofpattern]

CMAT at the 2024 Mercury Prize Nominations, wearing dress by Joanne Hynes.

"We recently spent a day with Ciara going through the Joanne Hynes archive over at the @joanne_hynes_studio. Pieces and selects as far back as 2001.

In the end this green sequin on silver lurex dress hand embellished dress from early 2000s was the perfect choice."

[haveyoulistenedtothisalbum-poll]

Tracklist:

California • Phone Me • Vincent Kompany • Such A Miranda • Rent • Where Are Your Kids Tonight? • Can’t Make Up My Mind • Whatever’s Inconvenient • I… Hate Who I Am When I’m Horny • Torn Apart • Stay For Something • Have Fun!

Spotify ♪ YouTube

[luuurien]

CMAT - If My Wife New I’d Be Dead

(Country Pop, Singer/Songwriter, Indie Rock)

Ciara Thompson's first album under the CMAT name sees her wit and comedic edge colliding with narratives of infidelity, addiction, and codependency that all circle back to one person: Thompson herself. Even when If My Wife New I'd Be Dead revels in some of Thompson's darkest moments, it allows her the space and empathy to discuss them without guilt on top of some of the prettiest country pop instrumentals in years. 

☆☆☆☆☆

How do you discuss your worst moments without it boiling down to pure self-hatred? It's something that Irish singer/songwriter Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson fights with throughout If My Wife New I'd Be Dead, her debut under the CMAT name after beginning to sprinkle singles of her groovy alt-country back at the start of 2020. Donning a Dolly Parton hair-do, colorful attire to match and just a hint of late-70s countrypolitan, CMAT already knows exactly what she's looking to do here, and delivers it perfectly. Offering a more thoughtful side to millennial messiness, CMAT takes all her idiosyncrasies and past wrongs and turns them into powerful, gorgeous songs that don't hide the worst aspects of her personality, instead opting to dress them up in flashy outfits and glittery makeup that forces them to embrace the chaos entirely. If My Wife New... is devastating, tear-inducingly hilarious, and one of the strongest emotional journeys this year. Getting into the music world through her obsession with Bombay Bicycle Club, Thompson's musical journey is one marked by some extremely turbulent early years. "I was not myself, stopped writing songs that were good... I had no money, so I was working in TK Maxx and then as a sexy shots lady at night," she said about her experience moving to Manchester; the relationship with her boyfriend at the time was getting worse by the day and she couldn't recognize herself in pictures. The point of If My Wife New..., then, is to be the shift to somewhere she can be more proud of. Peter Bogdanovich sees her infatuated with the titular film writer/director and wishing she could ruin his marriage, the following No More Virgos has her broken over all her failed relationships and turning it into a country-disco comedic odyssey. The constant juxtapositions Thompson inserts into each song: how she wants to ruin relationships but keep all of hers perfect, how alcohol can be both celebratory and an emotional crutch, that she wants to be both a different person and not lose her spirit in the same breath, are what make If My Wife New... so rewarding when thrown atop her country pop blends. These songs are supremely smooth: the highway-speed highlight Communion is a glorious ode to having absolutely no idea what your life is meant for, goosebump-inducing harmonies and thick drum fills not letting up for three minutes of pure euphoria. Geography Teacher is a depressive, lonely folk song written for nothing more than a voice or banjo; the sharp tinny strums just jagged enough for Thompson to pour her heart out more than she does anywhere else on the album, desperate for validation as she contorts her body a thousand different ways in her mind. But Thompson never turns this into a pity party, or anything close to it. She described the mission statement for If My Wife New... as "I’ve done bad things. I’ve been a bad person, I’ve done some crazy shit. But I’m owning up to it now so I can move on... You have to move on. What’s the next thing? Let’s go.” Whenever negative emotions find their way into these songs, and are a topical center for a majority of these tracks, it's closer to getting advice from an older sibling than sobbing to a therapist. Escapist opener Nashville puts Thompson's desire to start a new life away from everyone who knows the things she's done is given the gravitas it needs to make sure it stays nothing more than a fantasy, snappy percussion and swelling strings so cinematic you can't imagine this song as anything less than a dream in Thompson's mind. The strong backbeat and thick bassline on 2 Wrecked 2 Care puts her back in the tangled mindset that came with her move to Manchester, where she had no idea who she was and turned to anything she could to soothe, real life blending with her restless mind as everything spirals around her and the strong instrumental backbone keeps it all in check. There's not much of a resolution to her issues here: Groundhog Day's twinkly folk rock makes for a sentimental goodbye to someone she can't stop hurting and I Wanna Be a Cowboy, Baby! uses a slow honky-tonk groove to give Thompson a chance to get a hold on her anxiety that stems from the men in her life that she's both terrified of and need for protection in a place where violence can happen towards her any moment. But with all of this now out to the world she doesn't have to ruminate on it all any longer. If My Wife New... is such an instant success because it manages to do something most singer/songwriters aren't capable of: to be vulnerable without letting the music mellow because of it. At the album's most emotionally potent, these songs are glowing and full of different chewy textures, every negative feeling channeled into some of the best country this year will have to offer, just sophisticated enough to make it all come full circle. Thompson has put together something so honest, so uncompromising in its goal to hit every failure with beaming sunlight, that even if the music wasn't this good the emotions alone could carry her so far. You can hear the joy in putting things past her in every note she sings, and the gorgeous instrumentation shapes every story just perfectly to make you fall even deeper in love with it all. Even with the hurt she's caused to others, and to herself, throughout If My Wife New I'd Be Dead, you only want to give her a hug by the end of it. It can only get better for her from here.

[desertpups]

Hozier, Grammy-nominated five-piece Fontaines D.C., Elbow, Pillow Queens, and Rhiannon Giddens are among the line-up for the new season of Other Voices when it makes its return to RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player on March 4th.

The new season of Ireland's longest-running music TV show will also come from new locations, including Cardiff, and Ballina.

The series, presented by May Kay and Huw Stephens, is now in its 19th season and will run for 10 weeks, from March 4th at 11.05pm.

Hozier will kick off the season with an intimate, stripped-back, performance, featuring new string arrangements by Ireland's Crash Ensemble. Viewers can also expect performances from two Choice Music Prize nominated acts - the indie rock four-piece Pillow Queens and singer-songwriter Niamh Regan, both of whom released debut albums in 2020. 

Other Voices founder Philip King said: "The Other Voices series coming to you on television this year features a range of truly remarkable performances from Irish artists who opened their hearts and raised their voices in a powerful and emotional musical response to the events of what has been one of the most complex and difficult years in Ireland's history.

"We have been so lucky to have the support of Minister Catherine Martin which has been essential in enabling us to produce Other Voices this year and it is a privilege to work with these amazingly talented and creative artists and with the wonderful crews that make them audible and visible."

The new series will include three special episodes, with Fontaines D.C. performing in Dublin's Kilmainham Gaol, Other Voices regulars live Elbow from Ballina and Dingle, and a special highlight episode of the upcoming Other Voices Cardigan, with performances from rapper BERWYN, post-punk-poet Sinead O’Brien, violinist Aoife Ní Bhriain and more from Cardiff.

Damien Dempsey, renowned folk singer-songwriter Rhiannon Giddens, alt country musician CMAT and For Those I Love - the project of multi-instrumentalist and producer David Balfe -  will also feature in the series.

Full list of artists featured on Other Voices series 19:

Ailbhe Reddy, Ani Glass, Aoife Nessa Frances, Aoife Ní Bhriain, BERWYN, Brigid Mae Power, Catrin Finch, Cinder Well, CMAT, Conchúr White, Crash Ensemble, Damien Dempsey, Elbow, Fontaines D.C., For Those I Love, Foxjaw, Hozier, Juice Menace, Luz, Mark Lanegan, Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh & Gerry O'beirne, Nealo, Niamh Regan, Peter Broderick, Pillow Queens, Rhiannon Giddens, Séamus & Caoimhe Ui Fhlatharta, Sinead O'Brien, Son (Susan O'Neill), Sun Collective, The Gentle Good.

[shockyhorror]

If My Wife New I'd Be Dead is the debut album of Irish singer-songwriter CMAT, released February 2022. The intentionally misspelled title comes from an inscription, found in a book left on a bus that said: “To Mary, I will never forget you, God bless you always, your undercover lover, Mark Carol... PS, if my wife new I'd be dead.

[shrugging]

What music have you been listening to lately, assuming you like music?

MUNA, Katy J Pearson, Wet Leg, CMAT, Mitski. Some assortment of those are usually on in the car. Love me some alt lady singers