CMAT channels "ABBA doing a spaghetti western soundtrack" on new track “I Don’t Really Care For You”

Inspired by the sounds of American country singer Charley Pride and Swedish pop icons ABBA, Dublin artist CMAT's latest offering is a charmingly relatable rumination on swallowing your pride and acknowledging your faults in a past relationship.

CMAT sets the scene for this realisation with playful keys and Americana-tinged guitar, making listeners feel like they’re “choking back a Breezer on the patio” right alongside her. She re-traces her memories of how things turned sour through her pertinent lyrics - “Oh the Marian Keyes of it all, baby / Rewriting everything I do” - and her lush, yearning vocals.

“‘I Don’t Really Care For You’ is about realising you were ultimately the bigger dickhead in a relationship,” CMAT explains. “Good people will always think they were doing the right thing in the moment, even if their actions are terrible. I try really hard to be a good person, but I still end up being a big bully sometimes. If you ever find yourself saying something along the lines of, ‘I would love him IF...’ or ‘I would stay with you IF...’ then... you’re probably being a dickhead." Determined to make amends for her bad behaviour, CMAT embarks upon a journey of self-reflection that includes “seven hours looking at old pics” while “trying to pinpoint where the bitch began.”

“Musically, I went to my producer Oli with the vague concept of, ‘What if this song was ABBA doing a spaghetti western soundtrack?’” CMAT continues. “He just knocked it out of the park.” These dramatic pop tendencies soften the initial feelings of self-loathing that underscore “I Don’t Really Care For You”. It’s a joy to follow CMAT’s narrative as she meanders through her memories, trying to cut the cords of selfishness and taking responsibility for the past.