Cork’s Cardinals Announce Debut Album ‘Masquerade’ and Share Title Track.
In the wider cultural zeitgeist, hibernophilia has become commonplace. Irish actors, writers and even food & drink has become fetishised, with many producers leaning into this attention to profit in increasingly unstable industries. The country’s musical output is no exception here, with the excitement for new Irish acts reaching fever pitch in recent years.
Cork’s Cardinals strike a keen balance. A group that is at the vanguard of the Irish independent music scene but one that holds fast to their own personal artistic practice and vision without sacrificing their pride in the rebel county they call home. With the announcement of their debut album and the release of the record’s title track ‘Masquerade’, Cardinals only further their status as an Irish group that stands above the norm.
A tender, personal introduction to the upcoming LP, on ‘Masquerade’, the interplay between brothers Euan and Finn Manning is a delight. Euan’s soft, longing calls for the rekindling of a relationship is paired beautifully with Finn’s crooning accordion lines that drift downwards atop crunched guitars and swaying drums. On a record that touches on topics from British imperialism to religious belief, Cardinals’ opening volley with ‘Masquerade’ is a closer, and wholly more confessional exploration of the group’s stunning range and maturity.
Photo by Steve Gullick
Cardinals will headline the very first edition of The So Young Tour later this month. Tickets are on sale now.
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