This year’s Glastonbury was defined by politics in more ways than one.
Most obviously, the British state’s attempt to crack down on expressions of solidarity with Palestine, which ironically provoked more artists to make statements on the topic of the war in Gaza.
But it also saw the big-stage debuts of several artists who represent a new generation; one that grew up in the wake of the 2008 crisis and is grappling with its legacy.
Of these, Irish songwriter and musician CMAT is undoubtedly one of the stand-outs.
Since making a career-defining performance on the Pyramid Stage, CMAT has begun the tour and campaign for her new album, EURO-COUNTRY, which she says is her best work yet. Listening to the already-released title song, it’s hard to disagree.
EURO-COUNTRY grapples with the fallout from the ‘Celtic Tiger’ in Ireland, where a frenzy of speculation, FDI, and the creation of a gigantic property bubble resulted in the Irish economy being one of the worst-impacted by the 2008 crash.
The song is well structured. A poetic intro in Irish (which the BBC somehow ‘forgot’ to play when it debuted the song) transitions into disciplined verses which explore the singer’s own struggles with self-image:
“So tryna be what I wasn’t born, all this pop star USA / I think we’re gonna die trying, I wish we weren’t this way.”
CMAT uses her own experience as an analogy not only for a demoralised generation spending their time “mooching round shops” without an identity, but for an entire nation who were sold a lie that their economy could be, like the US, a speculation bubble with no pop.
The verses contrast with a powerful chorus explaining the message of the song – that Ireland is dominated by the Euro: “Everything I thought that I could be / He cut it in half / My Euro, Euro, Euro Country / I do all he asks.”
An even stronger bridge blends political and personal, opening by taking a shot at disgraced ex-taoiseach (and potential 2025 presidential candidate) Bertie Ahern. It them memorialises the post-2008 suicide epidemic – particularly among construction workers, whose jobs and way of life were disintegrated – while pointing out the dystopian inefficiency of capitalism:
And it was normal / Building houses / That stay empty even now.
Instrumentally, the blended pop-country influences of the track work well enough in recording – but you do get the sense they’ll be even better live, as with most of CMAT’s music.
The video, performed in a gradually emptying shopping centre as the singer wears a nostalgic “BERTIE”-emblazoned shirt, communicates her message quite well.
The other early releases in the album also show promise.
Take A Sexy Picture Of Me might fall a little into the sound-bitey, ‘tiktokification’ characteristic of modern pop in the bridge, but otherwise is well-communicated. The sense of humour of the rockier Jamie Oliver Petrol Station combines well with the more serious songs in the album. And there’s really nothing bad to say about the album’s first ballad Running/Planning.
I strongly recommend getting on the bandwagon before the full release.
CMAT’s single ‘EURO-COUNTRY’ is available now on all music streaming services. The full album releases on 29 August.
