Cardinals – Masquerade (So Young) (13th Floor Album Review)

Irish newbies Cardinals have recently released their first album Masquerade. The Cork based group have certainly been turning a few heads recently. The album boasts a careful mix of alternative-rock and folk, heavily laced with punk sensibilities.

I am always a sucker for picking up a debut album to review. And whilst they’re not making the same waves that the last family band from Cork made (Have a watch of Crystal Swing when you get a few minutes and down a rabbit hole you might sink), Cardinals are getting great recognition from all of the right people. A quick Google search of the band will be littered with phrases such as ‘Ireland’s best new band’, or ‘The next great thing’.

Okay, big hype. But are they like?

Cardinals play gritty indie-rock. It gives gothic vibes that Robert Smith would give a somewhat acknowledging nod to, whilst also being accessible for the modern indie fan. The guitars alternate between rocky downstrokes and folky strums. In the way I always hope an album opens, She Makes Me Real excellently highlights what to expect. We’re given an introduction that would fit well in an Irish pub, before a punk-meets-folk progression brings us into the hook.

And then there’s the accordion! This is the first thing that stuck out to me when I listened to Cardinals. Perhaps it was because it’s a vaguely different instrument to include in the genre, or perhaps because it is my mother’s least favourite instrument. Regardless, on my first listen, I was ready to scathe how little it added to the band.  I’ll happily eat my words, the more I listened, the more accordionist Finn Manning gives to the overall sound on Masquerade. It’s not just a lazy emulation of a synth sound for lead (sorry, that was my first assessment), nor is it gimmicky (my second assessment). It actually takes centre stage on certain songs and gives an indie-folk vibe comparable to something like Arcade Fire. As I Breathe and Barbed Wire truly demonstrate that the squeeze box player didn’t just get the role because he was the brother of singer Euan Manning.

The vocals are certainly a highlight of this release. Euan Manning delivers a range that at times reminds me of Marcus Mumford, then slips into a punky Lou Reed. He sounds disinterested yet vulnerable. The album-titled track Masquerade has him crooning melodically while accompanied by clever arpeggios (again, our accordion features well here). I Like You gives us a chorus which I can only infer is a view into his punk-rock roots.

 

There is plenty of grit involved in the ten track LP. Loud and dirty single-coiled guitars really set the mood on politically charged anthem The Burning of Cork. The drums on Anhedonia give us a shuffle-beat that would not seem out of place in a Friday at your local Irish bar, until the raging guitars transport us into a crowded sweaty rock venue. It is safe to say there is plenty of refreshing diversity on Masquerade.

Cardinals are surely a band you’ll be hearing from more in the future. Masquerade is a solid outing that blends folk, punk and indie rock. Add three scoops of attitude, and a bit of sugar good measure, leaving you with a truly decent album. I think it safe to say the hype is real.

Daniel Edmonds

Masquerade is out now via So Young Records