CMAT Announces New Album With Lead Single “Running/Planning”

Photo by Sarah Doyle

CMAT is back with new music, and we couldn’t be more excited! The Irish singer, known for her fusion of country and pop, released her newest single, “Running/Planning” earlier this week. Alongside the track came news of her third album, EURO-COUNTRY, and details for a run of UK and Irish live dates later this year. 

CMAT – moniker of Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson – has a knack for bringing wit and humor to complex themes, and “Running/Planning” is no different. A catchy song, its lyrics explore the societal pressures that are placed on women as they age.

“‘Running/Planning’ is about having to chase your own tail to be good enough to exist. It’s an abstracted view of societal pressure on women - specifically through a relationship lens: You start dating someone, you get engaged, you get married, you have kids etc etc etc… everything has to follow this linear pattern. (That’s the reason for the repetitive chorus!). And the minute you don’t follow that path, your mam starts giving out to you. That narrow path that everyone is supposed to be on… the minute you get outside of that, it gets incredibly stressful. And I don’t know anyone who is like, ‘Yeah, love this!’” explained CMAT about the track.

These themes tie into her upcoming album as well, which will offer a glimpse into CMAT’s personal reflections on identity, grief, and economics. CMAT describes EURO-COUNTRY as “the best thing I have ever made. I felt halfway through recording it was the most important record I’ve made for myself… mainly because it was making me go crazy.” The title reflects CMAT’s self-proclaimed musical genre, as well as “the type of loss, pain and lack of community that i feel we are suffering from under modern capital isolation.” 

Recorded in New York City, the album is set to release on August 29 via AWAL.

EURO-COUNTRY Album Cover

As if that’s not enough to look forward to, CMAT also announced her EURO-COUNTRY tour with The Very Sexy CMAT band, starting in October. Check out her live dates below, and find more information here.

European/UK Tour Dates 2025 

* Supporting Sam Fender

May 23rd - Wide Awake Festival, London, UK

May 25th - Neighbourhood Festival, Warrington, UK

Jun 5th - Primavera, Barcelona, ESP

Jun 6th - London Stadium, London, UK *

Jun 12th - St James Park, Newcastle, UK *

Jun 14th - St James Park, Newcastle, UK *

Jun 15th - St James Park, Newcastle, UK *

Jun 27th - Glastonbury, UK

Jul 12th - NOS, Lisbon, POR

Jul 26th - Truck Festival, Oxfordshire, UK

Jul 27th - Tramlines Festival, Sheffield, UK

Aug 1st - Belladrum Tartan Heart, Belladrum, UK

Aug 2nd - All Together Now, Waterford, IRE

Aug 7th - Syd For Solen, Copenhagen, DEN

Aug 8th - Way Out West, Gothenburg, SWE

Aug 14th - Cabaret Vert - Charleville Mezeries, FR

Aug 15th - Lowlands, Biddinghuizen, NL

Aug 16th - Green Man Festival, Crickhowell, UK

Aug 28th - Boucher Playing Fields, Belfast, UK *

Oct 2nd - O2 Academy Brixton, London, UK

Oct 4th - Academy, Manchester, UK

Oct 5th - O2 Academy, Leeds, UK

Oct 6th - NX, Newcastle, UK

Oct 9th - Barrowland Ballroom, Glasgow, UK

Oct 12th - Rock City, Nottingham, UK

Oct 13th - Corn Exchange, Cambridge, UK

Oct 15th - Dome Concert Hall, Brighton, UK

Oct 16th - O2 Institute, Birmingham, UK

Oct 17th - UEA, Norwich, UK

Oct 19th - Octagon, Sheffield, UK

Oct 20th - O2 Academy, Bristol, UK

Dec 5th - 3Arena, Dublin, IRE