During the Irish War Of Independence in 1920, IRA fighters ambushed British soldiers in Cork, wounding some of them and killing one. In response, British forces burned and looted hundreds of homes and dozens of businesses, as well as City Hall and Carnegie Library. The soldiers beat and robbed civilians indiscriminately. They threatened off the firefighters who responded. The British government initially denied that the soldiers had anything to do with the blaze, and even after they were proven wrong, none of the soldiers was ever held responsible. Sound familiar? It should. That's what they do. This particular example is what the new Cardinals song is about.
Indie rockers Cardinals come from Cork, and they'll release their full-length debut Masquerade early next year. We've already posted the title track and "Big Empty Heart," and now they've also shared "The Burning Of Cork," a tangled and pained two-minute post-punk song about the kinds of atrocities that colonizers inflict. Frontman Euan Manning says, "The song takes its name from the act of terror inflicted upon Cork City by the British Army's Black and Tan forces in December 1920. It's the record at its heaviest and most menacing." Below, check out the song's Greg Purcell-directed video.
Masquerade is out 2/13 on So Young.
