Cork’s acclaimed Cardinals have returned with a fierce new single, the politically charged “The Burning of Cork.” The single arrives alongside a striking music video directed by Greg Purcell and serves as the second taste of the band’s highly anticipated debut album, Masquerade, set for release on February 13th via tastemaker label So Young Records. Recorded with producer Shrink at RAK Studios, London, the ten-track collection balances grandeur and intimacy, weaving together romance, holy imagery, and raw emotional power, a culmination of the band’s promise since their earliest beginnings.
Frontman Euan Manning explains the inspiration behind the track:
“The song takes its name from the act of terror inflicted upon Cork City by the British Army’s Black and Tan forces in December 1920. It’s the record at its heaviest and most menacing.”
From simmering fury on tracks like “Anhedonia” and “Barbed Wire” to moments of delicate vulnerability, Masquerade is structured with a clear A-side and B-side, echoing the band’s vinyl-minded approach. Its sound spans brittle folk honesty, gothic melodrama, and theatrical rock flourishes.
Forged from family ties and lifelong friendships, brothers Euan and Finn Manning, cousin Darragh, and schoolmates Oskar Gudinovic and Aaron Hurley, Cardinals have already cemented themselves at the forefront of Ireland’s independent rock scene. With Masquerade, they break free of expectation to craft a record that is unmistakably their own.
The album will be available in multiple formats, including Rough Trade exclusive Galaxy vinyl, retail and artist store variants, CD, and cassette, with an Australian edition available via Impressed.
