CMAT – the moniker of rising Irish country pop star Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson – has announced new album EURO-COUNTRY, which arrives August 29th via AWAL Recordings.

The album's lead single "Running/Planning" combines wistful, midtempo pop with CMAT's firebrand lyricism. Watch the video below:

Thompson had the following to say about the single:

"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!"

The new album was recorded in New York and co-produced by long-time collaborator Oli Deakin. EURO-COUNTRY puts topics like economics, identity, and grief through CMAT's sharp-witted, tragicomic lens. Speaking about the LP, she said:

“EURO-COUNTRY is, I think, the best thing I have ever made. I felt halfway through recording it was the most important record I’ve made for myself… mainly because it was making me go crazy. I'm always going to make the work I want to make, because there is a little gremlin in my head that tells me if it’s shit. More than success, there’s a bigger gremlin that wants me to make music that’s really good. She’s brutal and has ruined my life at times, but she is the keeper of my life and she’s always right.” 

Preorder EURO-COUNTRY here.

The tracklist for the album will be revealed at a later stage. With the reveal of EURO-COUNTRY, CMAT has also announced a tour, including several dates supporting Sam Fender. The whole thing kicks off at London's Wide Awake festival, and includes her two biggest headline shows thus far at London’s O2 Academy Brixton and Dublin’s 3 Arena.

Check out the full list of dates here below:

05/23 London, UK @ Wide Awake Festival
05/25 Warrington, UK @ Neighbourhood Festival
06/05 Barcelona, ESP @ Primavera
06/06 London, UK @ London Stadium *
06/12 Newcastle, UK @ St James Park *
06/14 Newcastle, UK @ St James Park *
06/15 Newcastle, UK @ St James Park *
06/27 Glastonbury, UK
07/12 Lisbon, POR @ NOS
07/26 Oxfordshire, UK @ Truck Festival
07/27 Sheffield, UK @ Tramlines Festival
08/01 Belladrum, UK @ Belladrum Tartan Heart
08/02 Waterford, IRE @ All Together Now
08/07 Copenhagen, DEN @ Syd For Solen
08/08 Gothenburg, SWE @ Way Out West
08/14 Charleville Mezieres, FR @ Cabaret Vert
08/15 Biddinghuizen, NL @ Lowlands
08/16 Crickhowell, UK @ Green Man Festival
08/28 Belfast, UK @ Boucher Playing Fields *
10/02 London, UK @ O2 Academy Brixton
10/04 Manchester, UK @ Academy
10/05 Leeds, UK @ O2 Academy
10/06 Newcastle, UK @ NX
10/09 Glasgow, UK @ Barrowland Ballroom
10/12 Nottingham, UK @ Rock City
10/13 Cambridge, UK @ Corn Exchange
10/15 Brighton, UK @ Dome Concert Hall
10/16 Birmingham, UK @ O2 Institute
10/17 Norwich, UK @ UEA
10/19 Sheffield, UK @ Octagon
10/20 Bristol, UK @ O2 Academy
12/05 Dublin, IRE @ 3Arena

*Supporting Sam Fender

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