Irish alt-pop-country queen CMAT returns, and she’s kicking into warp speed, both literally and metaphorically. With her long-awaited third studio album, “EURO-COUNTRY,” arriving on August 29, 2025, the genre-fusing singer-songwriter teased the release with a fierce new single called “Running/Planning.”
Written and produced by Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson and producer Oli Deakin, the track is a high-energy, emotionally raw anthem that interrogates society’s rigid expectations, especially for women. In “Running/Planning,” the first note sounds like a breathless dash, the sound of an exhausting circular route of attempting to follow the unwritten rules of what life should be. It is a feeling that rings all too true in a world where a plan seems all sewn up for you.
Sonically, CMAT unleashes her signature mix of wittiness, twang, and pop sensibility. The production is tight, with racing rhythms that mirror the song’s unsettled temperament, while her vocals slice through with a blend of defiance and fragility. The instrumentation has an almost cinematic urgency, a runaway train of expectations she refuses to ride.
The song comes with its music video, which supplements its defiant intensity, directed by Eilis Doherty. The details of the visual narrative are being kept under tight wraps, but one can expect the trademark CMAT theatricality, humor, and cutting social commentary to be in full evidence.
With “Running/Planning,” CMAT is making a statement. It’s a rallying cry for anyone who’s ever felt suffocated by societal timelines, a reminder that life does not have to look like a to-do list. And as the clock ticks to “EURO-COUNTRY,” CMAT is leading her charge.
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