Blossoms: CMAT is a "powerhouse of a songwriter"

Blossoms' Tom Ogden has shared some insight into working alongside CMAT on the band's latest album Gary.

Released last September, the record was the Stockport alt-rock outfit's fourth UK No.1 album. It was also, the frontman told Hot Press, their most collaborative. The band penned a number of the tracks with the likes of Jungle, The Coral and CMAT, the latter of whom Ogden discovered in a record store in Brighton while on tour in 2023.

"I was just wandering around on my own, and ended up in that record shop and heard music being played through the shop," he says. "I was blown away by how many back to back great songs there was, so I went and asked who it was and they told me it was CMAT. She was playing that night in Brighton, so we managed to get some tickets last minute. We hung out with her after the show remained in touch.

"I was keen keen on trying to write with her. We approached this record more open-minded in terms of collaboration, and she was someone I really respected. She ended up coming to an Airbnb with me and the guys in Wales and we did this kind of lockdown writing session thing. It was probably one of the most enjoyable experiences we've had as a band, to be honest."

The song 'I Like Your Look' was born out of a collective writers' block, with CMAT breaking the deadlock by suggesting that the group grab books and shout out potential song titles.

'''I Like Your Look' was different to anything we'd made as a band before," Ogden says. "[CMAT] is a powerhouse of a songwriter, she's unbelievable.

"She's such a dynamic songwriter. I learned a lot lyrically, and from her approach: the way she's kind of laser focused on the topic and what you're writing about."

• Stay tuned to Hot Press for the full interview, in which Blossoms' frontman Tom Ogden discusses his love for Dublin ahead of the band's show with Inhaler in May, the 8ft Gorilla that inspired their latest album, and getting a rousing pre-gig pep talk from Sean Dyche. Listen to the band's latest single 'The Honeymoon' / 'Mariah Carey through Death Valley' below: