CMATS ‘Euro-Country‘ Rises From Personal Turmoil to Critical Triumph
A harrowing period of creative struggle adn mental health challenges culminated in a career-defining album for Irish singer-songwriter CMAT, whose latest work, Euro-Country, is being hailed as a landmark achievement in pop music. The album, released to widespread acclaim, represents both a high point in the artist’s career and a decisive break from past struggles.
The making of Euro-Country was far from smooth. While her previous album, 2023’s Crazymad, for Me, garnered critical praise and a Mercury nomination, Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson found herself deeply dissatisfied and spiraling into a breakdown while writing and recording its follow-up in New York. Thompson revealed earlier this year that she began experiencing hallucinations, initially dismissing them for two months as something else entirely. “I started actually hallucinating,” she said. “I didn’t realize for the first two months that was what was happening, but I basically imagined the entire apartment I was staying in was crawling with insects … I went to the doctor and showed him my bites, and he said: ‘Those are stress hives; you’re mental.'”
Despite comparing the recording process to “a toxic relationship,” Euro-Country doesn’t sound like a product of hardship. Instead, it’s characterized by a distinctive lyrical style, reminiscent of the opening of “Lord, Let That Tesla Crash” (“I heard death comes in threes / I misheard it, being from Dublin / I thought ‘death’s in the trees’ / which makes sense because they’re the saddest cunts of plants”). This unconventional style reinforces the sense that Euro-Country is uniquely, unmistakably CMAT.
Addressing Complex Themes with Wit
Before the album’s release, Thompson voiced concerns that its socio-political themes might be perceived as “incredibly cringe and incredibly earnest.” These fears proved unfounded. euro-Country is a masterclass in tackling serious subjects – body-shaming, mental health, Irish identity, and the inequalities of late-stage capitalism – with a light, witty touch. As Thompson herself put it,the album addresses “All the mooching around shops… and the lack of identity.”
The title track exemplifies this approach, cleverly weaving together references to the mythical Irish warrior Cú Chulainn and reality television personality Kerry Katona while interrogating the human cost of the 2008 financial crisis in Ireland. The album’s success extends beyond critical acclaim, having sparked a viral TikTok dance craze, fueled by promotions from amelia Dimoldenberg of Chicken Shop Date and actor Julia Fox. This widespread engagement culminated in a showstopping performance at Glastonbury, described as an “infectious explosion of faintly chaotic joy.”
A Defining Moment and Uncertain Future
Thompson has described Euro-country as “the most significant album I’ve made,” framing it as a closing chapter – “breaking up with an old version of myself.” She has openly expressed her desire to avoid repeating the isolating and mentally taxing experience of creating the album in New York, stating she doesn’t “want to make another record where I’m self-flagellating for three months in a fucking weird apartment… and there’s imaginary insects crawling everywhere.”
She has even questioned the long-term sustainability of songwriting as a career, wondering if seeking mental health treatment might stifle her creative flow. Regardless of what the future holds, Euro-Country stands as a defining moment in CMAT’s career and a significant contribution to the pop music landscape of 2025. It is a triumphant work by an artist who is forging her own path, proving the enduring power of authenticity in an increasingly homogenized musical climate.
