Irish singer-songwriter CMAT has unveiled her hotly anticipated new album, EURO-COUNTRY (out today via AWAL Recordings), a project that is already earning widespread critical acclaim and cementing her reputation as one of the most distinctive voices of her generation.

Blending sharp social commentary with her trademark wit and soaring melodies, EURO-COUNTRY balances big ideas—like the pressures of fame, the impact of economics on small countries, and the search for identity—with some of CMAT’s most immediate, hook-filled songs to date. Among them is the shimmering summer anthem “Take A Sexy Picture Of Me” and her latest single, “When A Good Man Cries,” a country-pop-meets-indie-rock ballad praised by Stereogum as “an immediately gripping country-rock classic that recalls Stevie Nicks or Tom Petty.”

The single’s music video has already sparked excitement online, with one YouTube user declaring: “Whoever is doing the styling for this video deserves a VMA.”

The new record arrives on the back of a massive summer for CMAT, who stole the show with a “career-making” performance on Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage, went viral with her cheeky “Woke Macarena” TikTok trend, and scored charting singles across Ireland and the UK.

Despite only being on her third album, the Dublin-born artist—real name Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson—already feels like an established cultural force. Her previous record, Crazymad, For Me (2023), earned her nominations at the Mercury Prize, the Ivors, and the BRITs, while her 2022 debut If My Wife New I’d Be Dead won the Choice Music Prize in Ireland.

Critics are hailing EURO-COUNTRY as CMAT’s most accomplished work yet. Rolling Stone compared her to Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker, praising her “sharp-eyed, honey-coated message for the world,” while Vogue lauded her ability to capture the social pressures women face with both humor and heartbreak. Billboard described her lead single as having “a lightning-in-a-bottle quality,” while Mojo confidently declared, “By the end of the year CMAT ought to be the biggest pop star on the planet.”

CMAT herself describes EURO-COUNTRY as her most “country” record to date, though she insists it pushes beyond tradition:

“There’s slide guitar and fiddle playing, but we never wanted to make something we’d already heard before. EURO-COUNTRY is also my way of describing the pain of losing community under capitalism. Nobody is hanging out anymore, nobody is living together, and that loneliness has become such a defining feature of modern life. This album is me trying to process all of that.”

Alongside the album release, CMAT has confirmed her US TV debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Tuesday, September 9, marking a new chapter in her rapidly expanding international profile. She’ll also embark on a string of sold-out US shows this September, including dates in Los Angeles (The Fonda Theatre, Sep 8), New York (Webster Hall, Sep 18), and Nashville (Basement East, Sep 21).

With EURO-COUNTRY, CMAT continues her meteoric rise—mixing humor, heartbreak, and cultural critique into a sound that is entirely her own. As one fan summed it up in a YouTube comment:

“The maturity of this album is absolutely breathtaking. The songs are so developed, elegant and yet absolutely crackling with raw feeling. UGH CMAT YOU DID IT.”

TRACKLIST
1. Billy Byrne From Ballybrack, The Leader Of The Pigeon Convoy
2. EURO-COUNTRY
3. When A Good Man Cries
4. The Jamie Oliver Petrol Station
5. Three Six Foive
6. Take A Sexy Picture Of Me
7. Ready
8. Iceberg
9. Coronation St.
10. Lord, Let That Tesla Crash
11. Running/Planning
12. Janis Joplining

TOUR DATES
Sep 8 Mon - Los Angeles, CA - The Fonda Theatre
Sep 10 Wed - Englewood, CO - Gothic Theatre
Sep 12 Fri - Minneapolis, MI - Fine Line
Sep 13 Sat - Chicago, IL - Park West
Sep 15 Mon - Toronto, CA - The Concert Hall
Sep 17 Wed - Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club
Sep 18 Thu - New York, NY - Webster Hall
Sep 20 Sat - Atlanta, GA - Shaky Knees
Sep 21 Sun - Nashville, TN - The Basement East

Author: Andrew Braithwaite

Andrew is the founder and chief editor of Music Talkers. He's also a keen music enthusiast and plays the guitar.