Cork’s finest Cardinals announce long-anticipated debut album Masquerade
Their debut is set to cement the band’s position in the indie scene.
3 min read
Credit: Steve Gullick 📸
Cork's acclaimed Cardinals have announced their much-anticipated debut album 'Masquerade'. Set to land February 13th on tastemaker label So Young Records, the record was recorded with producer Shrink at RAK Studios, London, across the summer. That same Summer included enormous support slots with Fontaines D.C. and Wunderhorse.
Featuring in our Weekly Round Ups of new music on numerous occasions, Cardinals are fast becoming one of the most exciting new rock exports, again from Ireland.
Their debut is set to cement the band’s position in the indie scene. It's a record that is at once grand and intimate, awash with romance and flickers of holy imagery, and most of all, it's an undeniable fulfilment of the innate promise the band have shown since their earliest beginnings.
Frontman Euan Manning says of the new record and their new single:
“Something the record looks at is peeling back the ‘masquerade’ or the facade we all put up. The curtain is pulled and cynicism takes its place - it’s really easy to be cynical and far harder to be hopeful and genuine. We’ve learnt this through playing and touring but you can’t be a total cynic if you’re making music or films or whatever it is, making art forces you to dig deeper than that protective layer. Stripping it back is painful, you can find things you’re really not proud of but it also lends itself to a sort of acceptance that can’t be attained if you don’t allow yourself that vulnerability. A lot of the themes and ideas in the album come from that place.”
“The song Masquerade is the broadest exploration of that. It’s definitely one of the more intimate moments on the album. The vulnerability it reveals is uncomfortable, and that's where we wanted to be when we were writing the songs on the record.”
Cardinals are also now on tour across the UK:
16th September - Zebulon, Los Angeles, CA
22nd September - Bristol, Strange Brew
23rd September 2025 - Southampton, Joiners
25th September 2025 - Norwich, Waterfront Studio
26th September 2025 - Leeds, Belgrave
27th September 2025- Manchester, Yes Pink Room
29th September 2025- Brighton, Patterns
30th September 2025 - London, Moth Club
'Masquerade' will be released on all physical formats, including a Rough Trade exclusive Galaxy vinyl, Retail and Artist store variants as well as CD and cassette (exclusively via the band's store). Those in Australia will also be able to order an exclusive edition via Impressed.
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