Cork's genre-defying CARDINALS channel their city's idiosyncrasies into a dizzying artistic revolution on their brilliant debut EP. Check out our latest Hype playlist cover feature.

Words: Stephen Ackroyd.
Photos: Ali Quinlan.

"We love getting away in the summer to work our part-time jobs in the country club. Not a lot of people know, but we love to dance," Cardinals' vocalist/guitarist Euan Manning grins when asked what the band do for fun. "When we're not working, you'll find us in a basement underneath the country club, dancing salsa all night long. But there's one rule: You can't mix with the guests. Professionalism is a priority. But that doesn't bother us. All we care about is dancing."

You think you're interviewing a band about their new single and debut EP, and you find out that, actually, they're the staff at Kellerman's, eager to engage in a bit of dirty dancing.

With an ingenious sense of humour and audacious enthusiasm blazing through, the Irish six-piece can be many things - a dizzying genre cyclone, a celebration of youth's evanescent deliriums, an ode to their beloved Cork's idiosyncrasies. But at their core, Cardinals are a tight-knit crew of lifelong friends whose infectious camaraderie fuels their chameleonic artistic vision. Six pals who also happen to love clandestine salsa sessions.

At the time of this interview, the gang are enjoying a rare respite. "Darragh's gone to see Mitski," Euan shares. "Finn's working. The rest of us are just savouring the sunshine." Moments of downtime must prove fleeting for the rapidly ascending Cardinals. Their transcendent self-titled debut EP, due this spring on So Young Records, captures a spirit of relentless artistic cultivation - the sort of achievement that doesn't lend itself to huge amounts of rest and relaxation.