EURO-COUNTRY

This is the second time I have to recognize the Slate Culture Gabfest podcast’s “Summer Strut” series for introducing me to new music. In 2022, they included Irish singer-songwriter CMAT on their list; on the next episode, one of the hosts apologized for butchering her name (Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson), then doubled-down on the endorsement. I gave her a listen, and … she makes country music. Sigh. Not my genre.

Since then, she’s come on my radar a few times. Last summer she released a new single, “EURO-COUNTRY”. A pop song that torpedoed former Fianna Fáil Taoiseach Bertie Ahern’s campaign to become Uachtarán¹? Now you’ve got my attention.

The first time I heard it, I was annoyed that I couldn’t make out the words at first—turns out it was Irish. By the end I was hooked. Then I noticed this line in the bridge, “I was there when the das started killing themselves all around me,” which made me pay a bit more attention to the lyrics. A few listens later, I bought the album.

I also want to highlight the next song. “EURO-COUNTRY” has faded a bit, but “When a Good Man Cries” has been steadily growing on me, despite the more overt country trappings. It’s a great album.