Album Review: CMAT – Crazymad, For Me

By Rosie Burgess | December 9, 2023

Words by Katie Hillier

Difficult second album syndrome is a widely overused cliche in music, but it’s an added challenge when your debut is as original as CMAT’s 2022 release, If My Wife New, I’d Be Dead. 

Like its predecessor, it’s another unique full-length album. Opener, California, is where we are first introduced to CMAT from the future, a 47-year-old who has built a time machine to pre-warn her younger self of a disastrous relationship (and get revenge on said ex). And her alter-ego is just one example of the wackier elements of CMAT’s theatrical music. Take tracks such as Vincent Kompany and Such A Miranda, for example, Both tracks serve as much slower, retrospective moments on the record, which perfectly showcase Thompson’s ability to use humour and cultural references to undercut her slightly more tender sonics.

An album highlight comes halfway through the tracklisting in the form of a John Grant collaboration, Where Are Your Kids Tonight? Brimming with sass, hooks, and soaring vocals, it’s an impeccably catchy pop number that proves CMAT to be one of the most exciting songwriters of current times. Closing out the album is Have Fun!, a quite frankly, fun sounding, Self-Esteem-esque number, which incorporates upbeat pop melodies with traditional string arrangements and features Thompson sighing, ‘Huh silly bitch/Whoo!/You shoulda spent it on yourself.’
As a whole, Crazymad, For Me, is a stellar pop record bursting with character and, ultimately, a lot of fun. There’s not a hint of understatement; it’s a maximalist, showstopping approach to pop.

7/10