CMAT
Crazymad, For Me

Charm, irony, self-irony (which for me is synonymous with intelligence), charisma, wit, and, last but not least, voice. Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson (known as CMAT, note that it's the acronym of her name) is a bit of Bridget Jones and a bit of drama queen of the new Irish indie folk songwriting scene.

Born in Dublin in 1996 and raised on bread, pop, and classic country, Ciara started making music at just 17. Almost immediately, she tried to make the leap by moving to Manchester, but after some dead ends, she decided to return home. Back home, she attended university, but once again it didn't last: she dropped out to work in a clothing store; this time, however, she set herself the task of writing a new song every week.

This quirky strategy (like many things that revolve around her in reality) eventually bore fruit. In 2022, the handful of tracks she managed to put together convinced AWAL Recordings to offer her a contract, leading to the release of "If My Wife Knew I'd Be Dead" (from which one can already infer quite a bit). Thirteen months after its release, "If My Wife Knew I'd Be Dead" earned her the prestigious Choice Music Prize, an award given to the Irish artist of the year.

Her declared influences are Katy Perry, Dolly Parton, and (let's tip our hats) Johnny Cash. For what it's worth, I can also hear Ally (from the movie A Star is Born, aka Lady Gaga, aka Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta), Kate Bush, Lana Del Rey, and, why not, Adele.

In "Crazymad, For Me," Ciara lifts her foot off that folk accelerator that was her debut album, giving way to radio-friendly pop songs with a sunny disposition, yet still with a noticeable country influence.
"Crazymad, For Me" sounds clean, balanced, refined, and organic; the lyrics are powerful and emotionally significant.

Regarding the themes of the album, CMAT declared that the entire album is a concept album in which a middle-aged version of CMAT builds a makeshift time machine to go back 20 years and prevent her past self from getting involved with the wrong person. You won't find a track that explicitly tells this story, but looking at the picture from a certain distance, pardon, listening to the album as a whole, maybe the sense comes through anyway.

So it's about relationships (she and her bandmate Alan Farrell met on Tinder), sexuality, mental health, and "self-care," each theme treated with seriousness and humor at the same time. For instance, "Such a Miranda" is dedicated to the namesake character from "Sex And The City," and what about "I... Hate Who I Am When I'm Horny"? I think the title says it all.

If you're looking for a country pop concept album about relationships (even traumatic ones) and time travel, sung with wit, irony, and intelligence, well, you've found it.