Describe your music in the form of a Tinder profile.
catfish.
What was the first song you fell in love with?
Ewan [Manning, guitar and vocals]: Johnny Cash's “Ring Of Fire”. My mom and dad put them on for me in the car. The line might be, “Love is something that burns.''
aaron [Hurley, bass]: “2:45 a.m.” by Elliott Smith. When I discovered that album in the summer of 2021, I was completely in awe. When I worked in the cafeteria, I would listen to it over and over, going from front to back and back again. It was always in my ear. One morning I woke up very early, caught the first bus to Cork City, and bought my first acoustic guitar. I tried to learn “2:45 a.m.” with no prior experience, and now every time I hear that opening progression, I'm reminded of my 18-year-old self, deconstructing it in her old bedroom. Masu.
fin [Manning, accordion]: The poignancy of Leonard Cohen's guitar walkdown bassline on “The Partisan” has always captivated me, even from the first time I heard the song. The guitar's high-pitched trills are heroic, supporting the sad yet heroic lyrics that tell the story of the Vichy French rebels. What I love about Cohen is his timelessness. Stories of resistance to oppression are as important today as ever.
Dollar [Manning, drums]: “Archangel” by Burial. I remember being in a coffee shop with my girlfriend's mother when I was 10 or 11 years old. The coffee shop we frequented had a record shop and always had good music playing. It was over 10 years ago, so I can't remember what I liked about this song at the time, but I probably just thought it was catchy. But today I could appreciate the crunchy sound of the drums and how dark the whole track was. I remember downloading it to my iPod right away at the time.
oscar [Gudinovic, guitar]: “This Is The Day” by The The. It gave me peace of mind during a time of great change. I discovered it, listened to it to excess, and never once got tired of it. Even after my obsession passes, it still follows and haunts me. I generally believe that the best pop songs contain equal parts euphoria and sadness, and this song was the first time I realized that.
You are originally from Cork, could you tell us a little more about the current music scene in Cork? How does the Cardinals relate to other emerging artists in the area?
Cork's ethos towards music is very DIY, with people putting on shows wherever they can. It's very exciting. Our favorite artists are here in Cork. We take everything we can from the city and are always looking for people to do new and exciting things. Cork may be small, but it has a lot of character, and that's definitely reflected in the scene and the people who live there. I like to think that we all hit it off with each other and are inspired by each other. When I see people making great music, it makes me want to get up and do something myself. It's writing songs, performing live, and being in a band.