Cardinals

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Melancholic indie rock with a warm Irish heart

Why are all the cool guitar bands coming from Ireland these days?! After Fontaines DC, Inhaler, and Sprints, the next Irish indie rock promise is ready: Cardinals. These five young guns from Cork are Fontaines frontman Grian Chatten's favorite band, and for good reason. Cardinals plays ragged Brit rock with melancholic choruses—actually quite difficult to categorize. Is it shoegaze? Folk? Post-punk? We haven't decided yet, but one thing's for sure: it's more Irish than a leprechaun with a pint of Guinness.

And that sound wasn't built in a day. In fact, Cardinals is still evolving. What once started as a typical, spiky post-punk band has grown into a mature band with a completely unique identity. Melodic and warm, with a deadly secret weapon: the accordion, the beating, Irish heart of their sound. A sound that was quickly picked up. 2025 became the breakthrough year for Cardinals, with shows at ESNS, Here's The Thing, and a packed EKKO.

And all of this with a few EPs under their belt. Next year, the long-awaited Cardinals debut, Masquerade, will finally be released. With new music under their belt, they're once again crossing the Channel to prove the hype is justified.