CMAT is in her feelings in the food hall on ‘Lonely’
Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson aka CMAT is releasing her debut album on March 4th this year.
Entitled If My Wife New I’d Be Dead, it will feature previous smash (round these parts) singles ‘I Don’t Really Care For You’, ‘2 Wrecked 2 Care’ and ‘I Wanna Be A Cowboy, Baby!’, and ‘No More Virgos’.
Today, CMAT has shared the mournful song ‘Lonely’, a song written on a lunch break from work in Manchester when that searing emotion was to the fore. A rollerskating-featuring video directed by TinyArk is out today at 5pm so check back here after that time to see it.
“I started writing the song ‘Lonely’ in the Arndale food hall in Manchester when I was on my break from work. Anyone who has been there will know that it is as aesthetically unpleasant as it is bustling, at all hours of the day. There was something that always drew me to it though – people. I was very isolated during this period of my life and longed for a day when I could be sitting at a table of friends that I did not have. Instead, I found myself regularly sitting alone and watching strange families and friend groups, peering out from underneath a Taco Bell crunch wrap, for a false sense of comfort.
CMAT
“It took me years to finish this song because I couldn’t figure out the point of it. Then the pandemic happened, and suddenly I realised that everybody was in the boat that I had been long accustomed to (my sea legs are beefy in this regard). I realised that the point of isolation is maybe to learn to cherish people more, and to not be so scared of them, or scared of how you are perceived by them.
“Ultimately though, I wrote this song to try and get Robbie Williams to notice me.”
CMAT – If My Wife New I’d Be Dead Tracklist:
- Nashville
- I Don’t Really Care For You
- Peter Bogdanovich
- No More Virgos
- Lonely
- Groundhog Day
- Communion
- Every Bottle (Is My Boyfriend)
- 2 Wrecked 2 Care
- Geography Teacher
- I Wanna Be A Cowboy, Baby!
- I’d Want U
CMAT Live Dates
Mar 09: Cyprus Avenue, Cork
Mar 10: Dolan’s, Limerick
Mar 11: The Academy, Dublin (sold out)
Mar 12: Limelight 2, Belfast
Mar 13 – 20: SXSW
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
Jun 10: Primavera, Barcelona
Aug 30: Deer Sheds, Leeds
Aug 31: All Together Now, Ireland
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Niall Byrne is the founder of the most-influential Irish music site Nialler9, where he has been writing about music since 2005 . He is the co-host of the Nialler9 Podcast and has written for the Irish Times, Irish Independent, Cara Magazine, Sunday Times, Totally Dublin, Red Bull and more. Niall is a DJ, founder of Lumo Club, club promoter, event curator and producer of gigs, listening parties & events in Dublin.