NME’s latest stars of The Cover, Cardinals, have created an exclusive playlist to accompany the story’s launch – check it out below.
The Cork band are on this week’s (January 12) edition of The Cover, a manifestation of NME’s commitment to supporting emerging talent across the globe on a weekly basis. Every week, a rising artist will feature on The Cover – you can read Cardinals’ profile here, written by Huw Baines and featuring photography by Xander Lewis.
Cardinals have curated a playlist to mark their appearance on The Cover, tying together their selections under the theme of ‘Cigarette smoke in a Brooklyn dive bar, 1984’. The playlist includes songs from the likes of Dead Boys, The Replacements, Johnny Thunder, The Velvet Underground, Ramones and more. Listen to the full playlist on Spotify below and on Apple Music.
In February, Cardinals will release their debut album, ‘Masquerade’ – a record that follows a series of singles and the band’s 2024 self-titled EP. It also marks a mature progression for the band. “The EP was wanting to be a pop-noise band – fun songs that we liked,” frontman Euan Manning reflects. “In evolving and writing the record, the realisation I came across was that vulnerability might be the only valuable thing when it comes to creating art. If you can keep that honesty throughout your music, that’s what’s going to make it good.”
Over the course of 10 tracks, ‘Masquerade’ captures stories of the band’s hometown and further afield, filled with emotional intelligence, anxiety and a need for escape – as well as to create. “The overarching feeling was we need to do this,” Manning says. “We need to make the record. It has to happen, by whatever means necessary, whatever it takes.”
Read Cardinals’ full Cover story here and find out who else has been on The Cover here.
Every year, NME produces 50 Cover stories, showcasing the future of music via in-depth profiles and exclusive photoshoots. Check out our coffee table book NME The Cover 2024-2025, which features the likes of Kneecap, Lola Young, Amaarae, LE SSERAFIM, Oklou and many more.