Irish country-pop sensation CMAT has unveiled the typically comedic visuals for new single 'Every Bottle (Is My Boyfriend)', taken from her new album.

The infectious, up-tempo track finds CMAT in typically candid form on this hook-laden nugget that pulls on the heartstrings and screams 'future karaoke classic'.

"This is a song about being defiantly chaotic, because being that, an agent of chaos, is something quite defiant for a girl to do," CMAT says. "It almost didn't make the album. But then I managed to shoehorn in a line about the GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) and I felt happy it was representative of my drinking habits."

Few artists manage to blend bountiful hooks with such humour and wit; the 12 songs that make up this idiosyncratic debut album reveal an artist brimming with confidence and verve. 2021 was quite a year for Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson, one of the year's breakout stars, earning critical recognition as well as a legion of new fans.

Armed with an encyclopaedic knowledge of modern pop, a passion for British post-punk outfits like Orange Juice and Television and a desire and strong belief that Robbie Williams is her real dad; somehow it all make senses in CMAT’s music. The golden thread in all this is Ciara’s voice, which sits her somewhere between Kate Bush and country turns like Dolly Parton.

“I learned how to sing through country music: it’s the number one influence on how I sing,” she explains. “So while I’m not a country musician, I do think I’m a country singer. It’s glam. It’s tacky. It’s beautiful. It’s fun. It’s vibrant. Lyrically those artists like to have fun.”

2019 was spent on YouTube, where CMAT set herself the challenge of writing a song a week for six months, posting new songs each Friday from the only venue she could afford to book: a yoga studio. By 2020 her DIY ethic was bearing fruit with a run of self-released singles such as 'Another Day (KFC)', 'Rodney', 'I Don’t Really Care For You' and 'I Wanna Be A Cowboy, Baby!', scoring coverage from major music publications, plus radio support from BBC Radio 1 and BBC 6Music.

Beneath what CMAT describes as “the singing and the being witty and all the ‘whatever’ that comes with the smoke and mirrors of being a musician”, is a belief in the power of songwriting. “Other stuff needs work,” she declares. “I can’t do production, I can barely play guitar, and I should probably do more to look after my voice. But I’m really, really good at writing songs.”

Speaking to Hot Press in January, CMAT reminisced on the magic of a single song.

“I never thought of myself as a real artist because I’m so singles based,” she reflects. “I really believe in the power of a single. I’m a believer that if a musician has one brilliant song, they are worthy of being stanned. Some of my favourite songs of all time are by artists whose other music I’ve never really liked. But it doesn’t matter, because you only ever need one great song to get your message across. So, I never saw or understood the importance of an album.

“What’s interesting now is how excited people are for the album. Maybe the way I take music in is different to everyone else, but I think me having an album symbolises the idea of people buying into me. Fans of mine are excited to finally be able to say, ‘Look. she’s a real musician!’ I’m excited to be worth people’s time, effort and energy. People have given me a lot of support over the past two years, since ‘Another Day (kfc)’ came out in April 2020. So, it’s been two years of people waiting to justify liking me (laughs).”

Live, CMAT’s been confirmed for a number of 2022 festivals, including SXSW, Primavera, Deer Sheds, All Together Now, Standon Calling, TRNSMT amongst others. Her debut headline tour - her first with a full band - starts on March 8th, with dates in Dublin, Limerick, London, Brighton and Bristol already sold out. In addition, CMAT has announced a short run of solo in-store shows during release week.

Check out the video for 'Every Bottle (Is My Boyfriend)' below:

Revisit our January 2022 cover story with CMAT here.

2022 CMAT Live Dates

Mar 03: Rough Trade East, London *
Mar 04: Rough Trade West, London *
Mar 04: Banquet Records, Kingston *
Mar 05: Lucky’s, Dublin *
Mar 08: Connolly’s, Leap
Mar 09: Golden Discs, Cork *
Mar 09: Cyprus Avenue, Cork
Mar 10: Steamboat, Limerick *
Mar 10: Dolan’s, Limerick (sold out)
Mar 11: The Academy, Dublin (sold out)
Mar 12: Limelight 2, Belfast
Mar 14: DIY showcase, SXSW, Austin
Mar 16: Music from Ireland showcase, SXSW, Austin
Mar 21: The Peppermint Lounge, Los Angeles
Mar 23: The Basement, Nashville
Mar 24: Union Pool, Brooklyn
Mar 31: King Tut’s, Glasgow
Apr 01: Cluny 2, Newcastle
Apr 02: Deaf Institute, Manchester
Apr 04: Hyde Park Book Club, Leeds
Apr 05: Hare and Hounds 2, Birmingham
Apr 06: Louisiana, Bristol (sold out)
Apr 08: Omeara, London (sold out)
Apr 09: Colours, London (sold out)
Apr 10: Hope and Ruin, Brighton (sold out)
Jun 10: Primavera, Barcelona
Jul 09: TRNSMT, Glasgow
Jul 24: Standon Calling, Hertfordshire
Aug 30: Deer Sheds, Leeds
Aug 31: All Together Now, Ireland