The five-piece Cardinals are being hailed as the next great guitar band from Ireland, and for good reason. Brothers from Cork, Euan and Finn Manning, joined by cousin Darragh and former schoolmates Oskar Gudinovic and Aaron Hurley have spent the last few years cementing their status in the independent indie-rock scene with enthralling sonics and vivid lyricism. Thanks to a string of releases since their debut in 2022, Cardinals have gone on to support Fontaines DC and Wunder Horse.
Now the band have shared their debut record Masquerade via So Young Records. It’s a ten-track album that was recorded at London’s RAK Studios. It’s an emotionally expansive and gripping project which cements Cardinals’ upward trajectory as wholly deserved.
To celebrate the release of Masquerade, Cardinals bassist Aaron Hurley took over the 1883 playlist on behalf of the band, sharing some songs they adore.
Purple Mountains – ‘All My Happiness Is Gone‘
The only single from the album, in which released just two months before David Berman unfortunately took his own life. I listened to it a few times thinking it was just a cool little project before finding out the full story behind it, and it hasn’t been the same for me since.
I feel like David Berman’s got an unusual effect on people, very much feels like an old friend singing songs, making it all the more devastating. This track is a perfect pop song to me, his poetry book Actual Air is also amazing.
Karen Dalton – ‘Are You Leaving For The Country‘
I found out about Karen Dalton while reading Bob Dylan’s Chronicles, he said she’d a voice like Billie Holiday and played guitar like Jimmy Reed. I find her voice almost addicting, I’ve never heard anything like it and it carries a vulnerability that few could ever replicate. There’s a great, also devastating documentary In My Own Time which solidified a relationship with her music for me that I’d struggle to shake off.
T Rex – ‘Baby Boomerang‘
I’d a heavy T Rex phase when i was in school, used to have a long walk home and listen to him on repeat. I spoke a lot about Marc Bolan in my Irish oral exams. I sometimes revisit that time of my life through T Rex, honestly T Rex is merely a vessel of transportation for me these days.
Ohio, Jason Molina – ‘Just Be Simple’
There seems to be a running theme of tragedy here, to put salt in the wound I’ve also chosen a song by Jason Molina.
Another artists I’d listened to before realising his full story, completely altering my relationship with the music. “Why put a new address on the same old loneliness”, great line, great songwriter. MJ Lenderman also recently did a cool cover of this tune.
Neil Young – ‘Dreamin’ Man‘
I’m a big fan of dreams and a big fan of Neil Young. I’ve a lot of dreams and see them as free material most of the time and I love seeing my favourite artists doing the same. I feel like Neil Young’s songs are set in his own dreamscape particularly on After the Gold Rush, but I chose this song because it’s pretty explanatory. He is a dreamin’ man, and so am I so I like it.
Finn Manning, Big Sur – ‘The Thrills’
This jangly number from the thrills really taps into something in my bones. The record itself is great – but this song is proof that at some moment in 2002 or 2003, something clicked for The Thrills.
With Big Sur, they showed the world that for even for just one moment, they perfectly understood what pop music was meant to be. It’s almost like momentarily, an all seeing eye was opened.The riff, the production, the dynamics, the hooks. Hey, hey you’re the monkees!
Nirvana – ‘Moist Vagina’
One of my absolute favourite Nirvana deep cuts. This, along with You Know You’re Right and the BBC recording of ‘Something In The Way’ shows what a powerhouse of a band Nirvana was. These versions of songs never made an initial release studio album whilst Kurt was alive and were never played live.
The way Kurt mumbles the verses like he’s dopesick – compared to how he howls the word “marijuana!” In the chorus’ is an electrifying example of the classic 90s loud/quiet dynamic that Nirvana utilised – something that really illustrates their pixies influence.
Sam Hall – ‘The Dubliners’
An English folk song, performed in this instance by The Dubliners. Ronnie Drew tells the story of a Robin Hood archetype, who is forced to accept he will be executed for his crimes. The simplicity in the song is what makes it so impactful.
Each line is repeated two or three times as the song progresses, which makes it very hard to miss a word uttered. It also gives the impression that the songs protagonist, Sam Hall, is almost in disbelief as he repeats himself, which pulls on my heartstrings a little.
Iceage – ‘Vendetta’
This swaggering, cocky earworm oozes cool and perfectly exemplifies the Danish outfit Iceage. The song, as some more of Iceage’s work does, has a tendency to trip over itself. It’s drunken, fucked up, and feels like stumbling up a seedy street of a European capital wearing horse blinders. The music video features Zlatko Burić, who plays Milo in the Pusher trilogy. It just all feels incredibly fitting.
Life Without Buildings – ‘New Town’
This art rock Quartet out of Glasgow were short lived and often overlooked. At the time of writing this, this is the song I’ve been playing the most in the last week. Something about Sue Tompkins dazed and dreamy half spoken/half sung vocal throughout the verses layered on top of an infectious guitar line shows pop/dance sensibilities, with an undercurrent of Interpol flavoured post punk.
The guitars kick in beautifully during the chorus and gives you the pop release the verses make you crave for.
Listen to the playlist below.
Cardinals’s debut album Masquerade is out now.
