Cardinals announce debut EP and share brooding new single ‘If I Could Make You Care’

Cardinals have announced their self-titled debut EP and shared a new single, ‘If I Could Make You Care’.

The EP will be released on June 7 via So Young Records and consists of six tracks, including the new single, as well as previously released hits ‘Unreal’ and ‘Roseland’.

“There’s not much to say about the lyrics of the song past its title which was stolen from Frank Sinatra’s ‘I Could Make You Care’,” said frontman Euan Manning about the single.

He continued: “It was co-written between myself and Oskar and we worked away at it quietly until it became something special between us. The arrangement with the band brought the drama and scale, it grew into something bigger than we expected. It was a great relief to write the song, like we had come to the end of some part of our lives.”

On the EP, he added: “It’s a collection of songs that were written when we were living and playing in Cork City. It’s pop music at its core, personal, youthful, and, if you can see past the chaos and noise it’s extremely warm. There’s a narrative if you’ve got the heart to look for it. It’s our first EP and we’re looking forward to it being out there for everyone to hear.”

Check out the song and the EP tracklist below:

The tracklist for ‘Cardinals’ is:

1. ‘Twist and Turn’
2. ‘Unreal’
3. ‘Roseland’
4. ‘Amphetamines’
5. ‘Nineteen’
6. ‘If I Could Make You Care’

The band spoke to NME in February in an interview which saw Manning discuss the influence their hometown of Cork had on them: “I’ve always found that wherever I am has a big impact or influence on me, on how I live and how I’m feeling,” he said. “Cork might be far smaller than Dublin or New York or London, but I think it has so much character packed into it. It feels very real.”

Meanwhile, Cardinals were one of various Irish bands who pulled out of the official SXSW showcase last month over the festival’s ties with the US Army. All acts from the country – Kneecap, Sprints, Soda Blonde, Gavin James, Robert Grace, Mick Flannery, Chalk, Gurriers, Enola Gay and NewDad – decided not to perform in solidarity with Palestine.