Cardinals debut at No.3 on Independent Chart with Masquerade

Cork indie band Cardinals have landed at number 3 on the Irish Independent chart with their album, Masquerade.

Released on February 13, the ten-song collection centres on themes of human suffering and deception over a backdrop of religious imagery and is split into two distinct halves, with the latter being "a darker and grittier exploration of the themes than what comes before,” said frontman Euan Manning.

The band was formed by brothers Euan and Finn Manning, their cousin Darragh, and school friends Oskar Gudinovic and Aaron Hurley.

The album scored a 9/10 rating on Hot Press, with Will Russell hailing it as a "brilliant debut", praising Finn Manning as "the card-carrying member" of the band.

"Finn Manning is the card-carrying member of the squeezebox union in Cardinals, and he weaves shades of psychedelic folk reminiscent of Neutral Milk Hotel, Beirut and Arcade Fire."

Cardinals are also featured in this month's Hot Press issue, where they discuss how Cork, Palestine, Kevin Barry, religion, and the “romantic” accordion have all shaped Masquerade. 

The band will play Dublin's Workman's Club on March 7; a limited number of tickets are still available for the gig and can be purchased here.

• Listen to Masquerade below: