Cardinals: the new guitar band you need to know
Fontaines D.C or Wunderhorse? Everyone knows that the music world loves a rivalry, so as guitar music’s two brightest stars of the moment released new records in quick succession, battle lines were quick to be drawn as social media settled into two camps. But how about a third option? Slap bang in the middle, melding the two acts’ unique influences into one new, exciting package: get to know Cardinals, a group that Grian Chatten called “one of my favourite new bands”.
If what you love about Fontaines DC is their gothic, slightly folk-twanged spirit that comes directly from Irish roots, this Cork-based ensemble has that. Euan Manning’s gripping vocals manage to deliver the intensity of post-punk legends like Ian Curtis and Lou Reed with pangs of accent peaking through. The instrumentation, too, is steeped in the same modernist tradition as Finn Manning’s accordion playing is hypnotic, adding a whole new texture and dimension to their tracks.
It’s an approach to tradition that’s seeing a beautiful return at the moment. Other Irish troupes like Lankum and The Mary Wallopers are bringing instruments like bodhráns, fiddles, Uilleann pipes and more to the main stages, in the same class as Manning’s use of the concertina. Over in Scotland, Brògeal are spearheading the Celtic folk revival for modern ears there too. So while Fontaines DC’s early works drew from Irish literature, Cardinals are taking it a step further with lessons from the sounds of their homeland in both the instrumentation and folk-informed build of their tracks.
But ‘folk’ certainly wouldn’t be the word for them. Their influences clearly spill out way beyond their origins, growing into wider reference points from throughout musical history. ‘Roseland’ or ‘If I Could Make You Care’ feel like their own take on one of Reed’s sprawling storytelling tracks, whereas ‘Twist and Turn’ has truly anthemic energy as if taking notes from the 1990s icons like Oasis or Blur, who really wrote the rule book for big boisterous hits.
In a similar vein to Wunderhorse’s revival of grunge on Midas, mixed with a host of classic rock and roll inspirations from The Beatles to The Rolling Stones, Cardinals deliver that same scope. It’s dark and gritty enough to have a real bite to it, to keep you hooked into the story of the song or keep ears hypnotised by the carefully layered chaos of the song’s climaxes. But it’s also open, accessible and anthemic enough to be main-stage ready.
Their songs feel aspirational and primed to grow. At the moment, with the major success of Fontaines DC and Wunderhorse’s latest releases, guitar music is back in the spotlight. It’s been a while since the genre was really winning the race but with these two major albums, along with the news of English Teacher winning the Mercury Prize and the growing success of acts like The Last Dinner Party, Picture Parlour, Newdad and more, the UK and Ireland are reestablishing themselves as the leading force of rock. Cardinals deserve a place in that campaign as well as a spot in your playlists.
