For a band that started as a joke, Cardinals seem pretty serious about the whole thing. The Irish sextet, based in Cork, have only had a smattering of singles released since making their debut in 2022, but two songs in about three months signals a ramping up of activity, and they’re racing out of the traps in 2024 with the punchy, pop-focused indie rock of new single ‘Unreal’.
Less modern pop, more 60s pop, that is – the band looked to The Beach Boys for inspiration when putting this one together. Vocalist Euan Manning says of the song: “It was written in the back of a Ford Transit van that I was living in at the time. ‘Unreal’ reminds me of sunny days spent on the beaches at home. I remember learning a Beach Boys song, taking one of the chords from it, and building the whole song around that.”
We’re premiering the song’s accompanying music video below – keep an eye on this band for 2024. In the meantime, ‘Unreal’ is out today via So Young Records.
