Cardinal Black announces “Second Sign of Life”
Welsh rock trio Cardinal Black have announced their third studio album, Second Sign of Life, will be released January 29, 2027, via Thirty Tigers. The band has also released the album’s lead single, “Saving Grace,” and announced its biggest UK and Ireland headline tour to date.
“Saving Grace” features Chris Buck’s guitar work alongside Tom Hollister’s soulful vocals. The song explores the importance of having someone who provides stability and support during difficult times.
Hollister originally wrote and recorded an early version of the song nearly a decade ago but struggled to find an arrangement and lyrics that felt right.
“The foundations of the song were something I had written and recorded around 10 years ago, but it never felt right – too overworked and stylised,” Hollister explains. “I also never really had lyrics to it that had a real connection to me. This time around with Cardinal Black it all feels much more coherent. It’s a song about being so close to someone that they’ve become an integral part of you and someone who regularly pulls you back to shore when things get a little rough at sea.”
Second Sign of Life follows the band’s 2025 album Midnight at the Valencia, which topped the UK Official Independent Album Breakers Chart and helped establish Cardinal Black in North America.
While its predecessor featured more elaborate arrangements and production, the new album takes a more stripped-down approach, emphasizing the chemistry between the musicians.
Cardinal Black recorded the ten-song album over nine days in June 2026 at Clouds Hill Studios in Hamburg, Germany, during a break from their European tour with Alter Bridge.
For the first time, the band handled production and engineering duties themselves, with assistance from touring bassist and recording engineer Sam Andrews.
The sessions focused on capturing the sound of the band’s live performances, with fewer overdubs and additional instrumentation. The album explores themes of love, loss, vulnerability, aging and the isolation that can accompany life on the road.
Cardinal Black consists of vocalist Tom Hollister, guitarist Chris Buck and drummer Adam Roberts. The three musicians first played together in South Wales before eventually forming Cardinal Black.
Their early work attracted the attention of Steve Winwood, who invited them to record at his countryside studio. Although the musicians later went their separate ways, they reunited years later to establish the band.
Since then, Cardinal Black have toured with Joe Bonamassa, Myles Kennedy and Peter Frampton. The band also performed with Frampton at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
The band’s first North American headline tour in 2025 included multiple sold-out performances. Demand for their New York appearance resulted in the show being moved from Mercury Lounge to the larger Gramercy Theatre after tickets sold out in less than 24 hours.
Cardinal Black will support Second Sign of Life with a UK and Ireland headline tour beginning March 30 in Wolverhampton. Additional European performances are scheduled for April and May, with a return to North America planned for June 2027.
TRACK LISTING
- Saving Grace
- Take Me to The Water
- All I Ever Wanted
- Perfect Time
- Higher
- I Could Be Anything
- Neon Lights
- More Than Your Love
- Growing Up
- There Was Everything
UK/IRELAND TOUR
March 30 – Wolverhampton, UK – KK’s Steel Mill
April 1 – Dublin, Ireland – Button Factory
April 2 – Belfast, Northern Ireland – Limelight
April 3 – Glasgow, UK – The Garage
April 5 – Newcastle, UK – Boiler Shop
April 6 – Leeds, UK – Stylus
April 9 – Manchester, UK – Academy 2
April 10 – Southampton, UK – EngineRooms
April 11 – Exeter, UK – Phoenix
April 13 – Bristol, UK – Electric
April 15 – Cambridge, UK – Junction
April 16 – London, UK – KOKO
April 17 – Cardiff, UK – Great Hall
