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.
