WATCH: CMAT – ‘Peter Bogdanovich’

Flowing with her trademark wit, melancholy-tinged vocals and informed by her fascinating yet niche personal interests, Irish pop sensation CMAT has shared a new video for her latest single ‘Peter Bogdanovich’. Taken from her superb debut album, If My Wife New I’d Be Dead, the track is a playful homage to the work & romantic life of the acclaimed American director, accompanied by a cinematic, monochrome video featuring CMAT in drag as the eponymous talent.

“I wrote the song ‘Peter Bogdanovich’ after listening to a podcast about the making of the film The Last Picture Show,” CMAT explains. “To cut a long story short, Peter ran away and left his wife for yungwan (the lead actress in the film, Cybill Shepherd). I was taken by this particular story because I love his early films, and I loved finding out that his wife, Polly Platt, was the player who was actually responsible for what I love most about his films. I was really interested in everyone’s motivations – Peter for acting so selfishly, Cybill for throwing a bomb on a marriage and her work, and most of all Polly, for staying to work on the film even after the affair came out. I think it is a great allegory for the role that the construct of gender plays in all of our decisions, and how if gender and sexuality wasn’t really seen as such a rigid ‘thing’, our lives would be very different.”

Commenting on working alongside the video’s director Jake Passmore, CMAT continues: “I approached Jake with the idea of doing a video where I was in Boy Drag because a) it worked with the theme of the song b) I thought it would be really fun. Himself and Sam Brautigan, who co-directed, then came up with a brilliant abstract treatment around me playing Peter Bogdanovich that involved choreography, Orson Welles and a puppet. What more could I possibly want?”

Living her best life and sharing her unique perspective on love and pop culture loop holes is what makes CMAT such a joyful and charismatic performer. Catch her live on the dates listed below.

Watch the video for ‘Peter Bogdanovich’ below.

 

Follow CMAT on bandcamp, Instagram, Twitter, Spotify & Facebook 

CMAT Live Dates 2022

June 18th | Westmeath, IE – Body & Soul Festival
June 23rd | Halifax, UK – The Piece Hall –
June 24th | Margate, UK – Leisure Festival
July 2nd | Copenhagen, DK – Roskilde Festival
July 3rd | Dublin, IE – Trinity College ^
July 7th | Montreux, CH – Montreux Jazz Festival
July 9th | Glasgow, UK – TRNSMT Festival
July 24th | Hertfordshire, UK – Standon Calling Festival
July 30th | Leeds, UK – Deer Shed Festival
July 31st | County Waterford, IE – All Together Now Festival
Aug 12th | Oslo, NO – Oya Festival
Aug 14th | Winterthur, CH – Winterthurer
Sep 4th | Stradbally, IE – Electric Picnic Festival
Sept 29th | Los Angeles, CA – Cafe Du Nord*
Sept 30th | Los Angeles, CA – The Moroccan*
Oct 1st | Dana Point, CA – Ohana Festival*
Oct 3rd | Chicago, IL – Empty Bottle*
Oct 4th | Toronto, ON – Monarch Tavern*
Oct 6th | New York, NY – Mercury Lounge*
Nov 13th | Rotterdam, NL – Rotown*
Nov 15th | Stockholm, SE – Bar Brooklyn*
Nov 16th | Copenhagen, DK – Ideal Bar*
Nov 17th | Berlin, DE – Marie Antoinette*
Nov 21st | Amsterdam, NL – Melkweg Upstairs*
Nov 22nd | Brussels, BE – Witloof Bar*
Nov 25th | Manchester, UK – Gorilla
Nov 26th | Oxford, UK – O2 Academy 2
Nov 27th | Bristol, UK – Thekla
Nov 28th | Nottingham, UK – Rescue Rooms
Nov 30th | London, UK – Islington Assembly Hall
Dec 1st | Brighton, UK – Komedia
Dec 2nd | Norwich, UK – Norwich Arts Centre
Dec 4th | Leeds, UK – Brudenell Social Club
Dec 5th | Glasgow, UK – Oran Mor
Dec 7th | Belfast, UK – Limelight 1
Dec 9th | Dublin, IE – Olympia Theatre SOLD OUT
Dec 10th | Cork, IE – Live at St. Luke’s SOLD OUT

* = On sale Friday, June 17th at 10am
– = w/ First Aid Kit
^ = w/ Beck

Photo Credit: Sarah Doyle

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: Petrol Girls – ‘Preachers’

Having recently wowed us with the pertinent power of singles such as ‘Baby, I Had An Abortion‘ and ‘Clowns‘, we’re super excited to hear that Petrol Girls are now set to release their new album Baby next week.

Another acerbic offering taken from the album is new single ‘Preachers’. Propelled by a fierce energy and glitchy, discordant whirr, it’s an all-too-poignant reflection on the pressure that women and marginalised genders within radical left communities face to speak and act perfectly, and the scrutiny they are often put under for any mistakes made, in comparison to their male peers. Building to an impassioned cacophony, it immerses the listener in its incredibly relatable subject matter, that is resonant within both the musical and wider political communities.

Inspired by Adrienne Maree Brown’s book We Will Not Cancel Us, ‘Preachers’ is a raging anthem, calling on us to recognise the disparities within communities who should be fighting for the same things; throwing a spotlight on the inconsistencies of call-out culture and moral one-upmanship.

With a seething sense of urgency, it offers a perfectly riotous catharsis, taking the form of a somewhat stripped-back, frenzied barrage of sound with Ren Aldridge’s immense vocals blasting out with a raw power taking centre stage. Of the track, and the themes of the album as a whole, Ren explains:

“I get very frustrated by the lack of nuance sometimes, and the way people seem so much more interested in punishing individuals than building resilient communities of care. And I hate the way that women and marginalised genders are held to such a way higher standard than cis-men… I just really needed to reject this pressure to always act and speak completely perfectly, which has had a severe impact on my mental health by putting me in a constant state of hyper-vigilance and piling up alongside other pressures to make me mentally collapse. For me, our new album is so much about recovering from that severe depressive episode, and a crucial part of that was saying fuck it, I will never do enough, I will always make mistakes, but as long as I am true to my values and reflective, that’s fucking fine.”

Baby, the upcoming new album from Petrol Girls, is out next Friday 24th June via Hassle. Pre-order here.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

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LISTEN: CRISP&CLASSY – ‘Boom Bay’ (Kat Knix Remix)

Having been big fans of Feminist LGBTQIA+ electro-pop duo CRISP&CLASSY since the release of their joyous debut album  XTRA CRISPY last year, we were excited to hear that they will be sharing a special remix EP, The XTRA CRISPY Remixes, this month.

Taken from the EP comes a vibrant rendition of ‘Boom Bay‘, remixed by none other than the band’s own Kat Knix. Having been featured on The Knife’s own remix album back in 2014, Knix has gone on to build her reputation as a DJ and producer, delivering epic sets across the dance music scene throughout the UK and Europe.

Propelled by glitchy beats and danceable hooks, Knix’s remix of the colourful track shines a light on ‘Boom Bay’s frenzied reggaeton energy and swirling, euphoric spirit. With the zesty addition of racing, staccato beats and choppy vocal samples, it maintains all the sensuous, soulful drive of the original with a blissful yet dark deep-house pizazz. Another playful offering, showcasing all the genre and gender bending magnificence of this wonderfully sassy duo.

Listen to Kat Knix’s remix of ‘Boom Bay’ here:

Kat Knix’s remix of CRISP&CLASSY’s ‘Boom Bay’ is out now. And, also featuring the likes of Lizette Lizette, Arnie Wrong and High Cheru, the full album The XTRA CRISPY Remixes is set for release later this month.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

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Track Of The Day: A.A. Williams – ‘Evaporate’

A heavy, graceful musing on the darker side of the emotional spectrum, London-based songwriter and multi-instrumentalist A.A. Williams has shared her latest single ‘Evaporate’. Taken from her upcoming second album, As The Moon Rests, which is set for release on 7th October via Bella Union, the track is a brooding blend of dramatic volume fluctuations and Williams’ effortless vocals, which mirror the raw sensitivity of her introspective lyrics.

Following on from her exquisite debut album Forever Blue (2020) and her lockdown inspired covers EP Songs From Isolation (2021), A.A. Williams’ second album looks set to be another stunning collection of cinematic, intense sounds. “Traditionally, your second album is the worry; where there’s the weight of expectation,” Williams comments, “but I must create music I like myself, and I’ve had more time on this record; I’ve felt more confidence and conviction. As The Moon Rests is both heavier and softer, there’s more texture and weight, and a string ensemble. It’s Forever Blue times ten!”

‘Evaporate’ is the first hint at what’s to come from the new record, and it’s a poetic, heavy rumination on the overwhelming nature of ones inner thoughts when they’re eventually  brought to the surface. Williams prefers not to be prescriptive about the exact emotions that inform her tempestuous tracks, allowing her listeners to extrapolate on their own terms. “It’s all part of an overriding arc,” she explains about her music. “With hindsight, some songs I figure things out, others I disappear into a hole. For example, in ‘Evaporate’, I’m trying to keep a lid on fizzy complicated thoughts, which just explode. Other times, I’m more relaxed. Mostly, writing is more retrospective, not about the here and now. The lyrics are the place where I figure things out.”

Williams’ intuition for writing elusive, tender lyrics alongside powerful, instinctive volume shifts is what makes listening to her music so enthralling. Accompanied by a monochrome video directed by Fraser West, ‘Evaporate’ is a dramatic, urgent return to form for A.A. Williams who looks set to be at the top of our ‘Albums of 2022’ list already.

Watch the video for ‘Evaporate’ below.

Follow A.A. Williams on bandcamp, Spotify, Instagram, Twitter & Facebook

Photo Credit: Thomas Williams

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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