CMAT today shares new single “Lonely”, taken from her debut album If My Wife New I’d Be Dead, set for release via AWAL Recordings on March 4th 2022. Lyrically, the pretty-but-plaintive country-tinged “Lonely” strikes a more sombre tone compared with previous singles – focusing on mental health struggles, isolation and alienation. But as ever with CMAT, everything is imbued with her unique comic sensibility. The song is accompanied by another visual masterpiece – shot and produced, once again, by Tiny Ark, the video finds the Dublin pop queen showcasing (with a little help from her friends) yet another one of her hidden talents: roller skating.
Few artists manage to blend bountiful hooks with such humour and wit; the 12 songs that make up this idiosyncratic, captivating and rather extraordinary 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.
Of “Lonely”, CMAT says; “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.
“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.”
In support of If My Wife New I’d Be Dead, CMAT – aka Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson – has confirmed her first solo mini-tour of the U.S. with dates that kick off in LA March 21st before playing Nashville and Brooklyn. In addition, the Dublin cowgirl has booked a full UK and Ireland headline tour, alongside confirms for 2022 festivals Eurosonic and Primavera. Tickets for her U.S. shows on-sale now.
CMAT US DATES
Mar 21: The Peppermint Club, Los Angeles *
Mar 23: The Basement, Nashville *
Mar 24: Union Pool, Brooklyn*
