Following a near month on the road, Cork’s Cardinals return today with another highlight of their upcoming debut album, the swaggeringly melodic but darkly worded “Barbed Wire”.
Frontman Euan Manning had to say the following about the latest single to land from their record:
“It’s very much inspired by the history of our city and the Gaol house that stood on the south gate bridge many years ago, lyrically I had hoped to evoke images of silhouetted city walls and security fences. Sometimes aesthetics can carry a song from its inception to its completion. Kevin Barry’s novel ‘City of Bohane’ also served as inspiration for a gothic re-imagining of Cork.”
“Barbed Wire”, which lands alongside a black and white video by Xander Lewis, is the fourth song to be taken from their much-anticipated debut album “Masquerade”. Set to land February 13th on tastemaker label So Young Records, the ten song collection was recorded with producer Shrink at RAK Studios, London across the summer. 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.
These are emotionally expansive songs, some simmering with an undercurrent of violence, cynicism or fervent discontent (Anhedonia, The Burning of Cork, Barbed Wire) and others gleaming with a bright-eyed vulnerability. A vivid first half contrasts a darker second and crafts a record with a clear A-side and B-side. A nod to the band’s collective love of vinyl, that tonal shift takes its cue from a variety of expected and unexpected influences – from the brittle honesty of folk to the theatrical melodrama of goth-rock.
A band forged through both family and friendship – brothers Euan and Finn Manning, their cousin Darragh and their former schoolmates Oskar Gudinovic and Aaron Hurley – the five-piece have already positioned themselves at the vanguard of the Irish independent rock scene. And with “Masquerade”, they have flung off any shackles to craft something entirely their own.
“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.