Set to be a mainstay in the evolving, burgeoning guitar rock climate across Ireland and Britain, with an impressive debut album to boot, Cork quintet Cardinals are the new kids on the block. They discuss connection, heritage, and life on tour.
Cardinals are a thinking man’s band. Their sound, on paper, isn’t ripping up any rule books or straying too far from any guitar-band stylistic norms. But there’s something in the way that the five members – built on familial ties and life-long friendships – convey their music that feels unique and complex; of greater depth than when it first appears.
Originally hailing from Kinsale, now relocated to Cork, the quintet – brothers Euan and Finn, their cousin Darragh and childhood friends Oskar and Aaron – are the latest formidable artistic force hailing from Ireland. Following in the footsteps of now globally acclaimed bands like The Murder Capital and Fontaines D.C. (who they supported at their huge Finsbury Park day festival last summer), the lads are flying their nation’s flag, merging colourings of Irish traditionalism into a palette of edgy post-punk and intricate art-rock.
With Masquerade, their freshly released debut album via So Young Records, the band proved that they’re well worth their sizeable hype. Recorded with Shrink at RAK Studios, the body of work walks a concise, conceptual double-crossing – a classic, tasteful dichotomy of dark and light. The cover art embodies it – the icy, moribund nature on top and the blood red, religiously suggestive passion below.
The sonics, distorted and daring, ameliorated by Finn’s wonderful accordion, grow darker the further the album unfolds – from tender and anxious vulnerability towards flirtations of a fiery fury as the climax approaches. Such is mirrored in frontman Euan’s songwriting choices – depicting tales of tenderness and violence alike, an impressive and poetic portfolio of inner musings that stitch together a tapestry of emotions.
With the album being met with critical acclaim and a 2026 jam-packed with tour dates, below, Cardinals dive deep with Man About Town.
Hey Cardinals! Talk us through the origins of you as a band? Did you play in previous groups and when did you come to put the name on this one?
Yeah, we’d all played in different bands before this one, and I think we started Cardinals in March 2023. Finn played in two different bands in Galway, and Darragh played in a metal band in Cork. And Oskar, Aaron and I played in many different configurations in my bedroom.
What is it about the connection between the five of you that works so well, personally and artistically?
I think we’ve worked on it by spending real time together and working together. There’s no magic special connection, just the time spent trying to get to know each other.
Ireland is having a hell of a moment musically. What makes the Irish such good storytellers?
The Seanchaí tradition, and the fact that Ireland is a small bog. Many nations have a claim to good storytelling, but people attribute some sort of druid-esque mythology to Ireland’s connection with stories.
Congratulations on your debut album! How are you feeling about the release? And what might you be hoping for from it?
We’ve had the album so long, we just want it to be with the public now. When it is with the public, all we hope is that people listen to the record; we can’t ask for much more than that. Hoping that it achieves some arbitrary commercial or cultural goal is absurd to us.
Talk us through the choice of title, Masquerade?
We like the word and how it sounds, and we knew we wanted a one-word title. We toyed with the idea of calling it ‘she makes me real’ as it essentially encapsulates the same idea, but decided against it in the end.
From where did you pick up the most influence for the album – sonically and thematically?
We pick from a vast array of places, music, films, literature and art. Mike Leigh’s Naked is to name one, City of Bohane by Kevin Barry is to name another. We listened to a lot of Iceage during the recording of the album last summer.
There’s a clear tonal shift between the brighter first and darker second halves on the record. What was the intention there?
No conscious intention from the outset, but we wanted to explore different sounds and duality as it’s an inherent theme of the record. Works well for vinyl, too!
Last year, you supported the likes of Fontaines D.C. and Wunderhorse on tour. What did you learn from those bands, renowned for their live presence?
We’re in a totally different world from them. They tour with big teams and trucks and buses. They’re great bands, but I think we’ve learned more by supporting smaller bands in club settings. We supported NewDad on tour in the UK and Ireland, where we were more able to converse and question things with them.
You’re heading out on your own tour in March – any particular city you’re excited to play? Have you found a home away from home yet
New York is a good time. Looking forward to visiting Seattle for the first time, too, the birthplace of grunge. We’re big Alice in Chains fans.
What’s in your tour survival guide?
Our show rider gets us by.
What’s to come from you – this year and beyond?
Our album is coming out this year, we’ll tour it and then write a second album somewhere in between touring. I believe it will be our busiest year yet. We’re looking forward to heading to Japan for the first time in August, too.
Listen to Masquerade here.
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