Irish band Cardinals announce debut album ‘Masquerade,’ share title track

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Irish band Cardinals have announced their debut album, Masquerade, which will be out February 13 via So Young. They made the album at London’s RAK Studios with producer Shrink.

“Something the record looks at is peeling back the ‘masquerade’ or the facade we all put up,” says frontman Euan Manning of the album. “The curtain is pulled and cynicism takes its place – it’s really easy to be cynical and far harder to be hopeful and genuine. We’ve learnt this through playing and touring but you can’t be a total cynic if you’re making music or films or whatever it is, making art forces you to dig deeper than that protective layer. Stripping it back is painful, you can find things you’re really not proud of but it also lends itself to a sort of acceptance that can’t be attained if you don’t allow yourself that vulnerability. A lot of the themes and ideas in the album come from that place.”

Masquerade includes “Big Empty Heart,” which was released earlier this summer, and they’ve just shared the album’s title track, which has a little scraggly ’90s indie rock in its bones. Manning says it’s “definitely one of the more intimate moments on the album,” adding, “The vulnerability it reveals is uncomfortable and that’s where we wanted to be when we were writing the songs on the record.” Watch the video below.

Cardinals wrap up their North American tour, which included opening for The Pogues in Boston last week, tonight (9/16) in Los Angeles, and have UK/EU dates this fall. All are listed below.

Masquerade by Cardinals

Masquerade
She Makes Me Real
St. Agnes
Masquerade
I Like You
Over At Last
Anhedonia
Barbed Wire
Big Empty Heart
The Burning Of Cork
As I Breathe

Cardinals – 2025 Tour Dates:
16th September – Zebulon, Los Angeles, CA
22nd September – Bristol, Strange Brew
23rd September 2025 – Southampton, Joiners
25th September 2025 – Norwich, Waterfront Studio
26th September 2025 – Leeds, Belgrave
27th September 2025- Manchester, Yes Pink Room
29th September 2025- Brighton, Patterns
30th September 2025 – London, Moth Club

24th November 2025 – Paris, Point Ephemere
26th November 2025 – Berlin, Kantine
27th November 2025 – Düsseldorf, Ratinger Hof
28th November 2025 – Gent, Trefpunt
29th November 2025 – Nijmegen, Doornroosje
30th November 2025 – Amsterdam, Tolhuistuin