Hailing from Cork, indie hot tip Cardinals are set to finally unveil their debut album ‘Masquerade’!
Back in 2024, Cardinals’ Euan Manning told NME he wanted the band’s debut album to be a “classic”. The Cork five-piece will unveil their attempt at that lofty title imminently, with Manning describing the record as “peeling back the ‘masquerade’ or the facade we all put up” via 10 vulnerable and visceral pieces of storytelling.
Irish band Cardinals have announced a few US tour dates, Dates kick off May 7 in Somerville, MA and stops include Brooklyn (Main Drag Music on May 8), Los Angeles, and Seattle.
Cardinals have also shared a new song from from their upcoming debut album, “Masquerade”. “‘I Like You’ is the first song we wrote with the album in mind,” says frontman Euan Manning. “After a very long period of not working on anything, we started and finished this some bright morning last February in our practice studio.
It felt cathartic, a completely grounding moment after feeling slightly lost for months. The first lyric is stripped/paraphrased from the tune ‘My Funny Valentine.’ I don’t think it was written by Chet Baker but that’s the version we know.” You can watch a live version of “I Like You” and listen to the studio version below.
Debut album ‘Masquerade’ out February 13th 2026
The Fat Angel Sings 