It's almost inconceivable that it's only five years since the arrival of CMAT, as she approaches the release of her third album, EURO-COUNTRY. This BRITs / Mercury / Ivors-nominated star feels like she's been part of the culture forever — and what has endeared fans to her heart-sore tunes and humour is CMAT's ability to combine contradictory themes and moods: wide-eye drama with self-deprecation. Country music has always been a lynchpin for CMAT, but this is country in an augmented, reimagined way. Mixed with classic indie and affirmative soul-pop, it resists the music industry's desire to pigeonhole artists as one genre. Not only is there a palpable tonal shift, EURO-COUNTRY also feels like a huge step-up creatively. There is a sense of determination, of urgency, of "gather round and listen up". From re-evaluating where you come from (geographically, metaphorically) and the impact of economics on a small country, to the attention that comes with increased fame (not all of it good) and being a woman in the music industry.

• Artist: CMAT
• Label: Membran
• Genre: Country, Indie, Soul-Pop

• Format: Audio CD
• Dimensions: 12.45 x 1.02 x 13.97 cm; 45.36 g