![[PRE-ORDER] The Cardinals - Masquerade [Indie-Exclusive Red Vinyl] [Release Date: 02/13/2026]](http://www.plaidroomrecords.com/cdn/shop/files/4459219-3453810.jpg?v=1758593169&width=500)
![[PRE-ORDER] The Cardinals - Masquerade [Indie-Exclusive Red Vinyl] [Release Date: 02/13/2026]](http://www.plaidroomrecords.com/cdn/shop/files/4459219-3453810_1024x.jpg?v=1758593169)
PRE-ORDER - 02/13/2026 Release Date
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Description
The much-anticipated debut album from Cork, Ireland's acclaimed Cardinals, the ten-song Masquerade was recorded with producer Shrink at RAK Studios, London. It's a record that is at once grand and intimate, awash with romance and flickers of holy imagery, and most of all, it's an undeniable fulfilment of the innate promise the band have shown since their earliest beginnings.
These are emotionally expansive songs, some simmering with an undercurrent of violence, cynicism or fervent discontent ("Anhedonia," "The Burning of Cork," "Barbed Wire") and others gleaming with a bright-eyed vulnerability. A vivid first half contrasts a darker second and crafts a record with a clear A-side and B-side. A nod to the band's collective love of vinyl, that tonal shift takes its cue from a variety of expected and unexpected influences — from the brittle honesty of folk to the theatrical melodrama of goth-rock.
Format / LP
Released / 02/13/2026
Catalogue / CMMU-38
Barcode / 199538691870
Artist / The Cardinals
Label / Communion Group LTD
Genre / Pop / Rock