CARDINALS - 2 - Masquerade

Reading around about this new band from the city of Cork (Ireland's second largest), you may stumble across the odd, or at least forced, label of post-Fontaines D.C.. As if there could really be talk of a before and after for the Dublin band. Cardinals certainly sit comfortably within this new strain of Irish post-punk, the one kicked off by Gilla Band and now made up of at least a dozen hot names, to give you an idea. The differences between the two bands, however, are truly substantial.

Put very briefly, while for Fontaines D.C. local folk is just one ingredient among many, one that ends up defining only a small percentage of their songs, for Cardinals it's the core component.

Alongside the typical instruments of a post-punk outfit, whose poses and attitude they still borrow, Cardinals bring in the accordion (played by Finn Manning) in practically every track – it's not always present in the studio, but the violin often makes an appearance live too. The folk element isn't just a matter of instrumentation, but also of songwriting and delivery, with electric guitars following traditional-ballad progressions and melodies that recall folk singing.

Worth mentioning too is "The Burbning Of Cork", a song that's certainly electric-driven, but also a genuine storyteller's number, inspired by the tragic 1920 event that took place at the height of the Irish War of Independence.

The embrace between electric guitars and accordion is constant and evocative. Sometimes the former prevail, as in the lively romantic ballads "She Makes Me Real" and "I Like You", sometimes the latter, as in "Masquerade", reminiscent of the ragged ballads of Shane McGowan. Or again, they can keep swapping roles and then overlap, as happens on the single "Big Empty Heart".

Also chosen as a single, "Barbed Wire" is in all likelihood the album's standout track. It's at once the most gothic and the most folk-inflected number. Tense and electric as it is, it sounds like a protest song, but is actually a dark reflection on alienation, symbolized here by barbed wire – an object that offers shelter while also wounding.

Euan Manning (vocals, songwriting and guitar) and his bandmates could perhaps use a bit more creativity in the slower moments, when the record would benefit from a few more variations. It's the small flaw of a band making its debut with an album and a sound of real impact, one that has youth on its side though (all members are between twenty-one and twenty-four) and, therefore, time.

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11/03/2026