About this episode
John is joined by Irish singer-songwriter CMAT and producer Oli Deakin, to discuss how they wrote and recorded the album ‘EURO-COUNTRY’. CMAT, aka Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson, is best known for her unique blend of country-infused pop music, which often incorporates humour and pop culture references. She released her debut album, ‘If My Wife New I'd Be Dead ’, in 2022, produced by longtime friend Oli Deakin. Both it and second album ‘Crazymad, For Me ’ were praised for their detailed lyricism. The latter was also nominated for the Mercury Prize and the Ivor Novello Award for Best Album. CMAT’s third album ‘EURO-COUNTRY’ was released on 29th August 2025, with Oli Deakin again on production. It has already garnered rave reviews and given CMAT her first viral Tiktok hit with ‘Take a Sexy Picture of Me’. Sitting down at Platoon Studios in London, the trio discuss how the album was inspired by growing up in Ireland in the Noughties, why CMAT’s phone is her most important instrument, how online trolling inspired her viral hit ‘Take a Sexy Picture of Me’ and why a three-minute ‘perfect’ pop melody can be the most effective way to deliver a hard-hitting political message. Tracks discussed: Billy Byrne From Ballybrack, The Leader of the Pigeon Convoy; EURO-COUNTRY; Take a Sexy Picture of Me; Iceberg TAPE IT Thanks to our friends at Tape It for supporting the podcast. Visit tape.it/tapenotes or use the promo code TAPENOTES in the app to get 20% off. Recorded at Platoon Studios LANDR Get 20% off LANDR Distribution and Studio at landr.com/tapenotes MUSIVERSAL Skip the waitlist and get your discount HERE LISTEN to ‘EURO-COUNTRY’ here: EURO-COUNTRY by CMAT , AWAL Recordings LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective - https://lynkify.in/song/sunshine-buddy/YT47TLFI GEAR MENTIONS Omnichord Mellotron Casio Keyboard AEA R88 microphone Wurlitzer Neumann M49 microphone OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can join us on Patreon , where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Patreon: Tape Notes Instagram: @tapenotes Discord: Tape Notes X: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast To let us know the artists you’d like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We’d love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk