NERVES Announce EP Iarmhaireacht and Drop Ferocious New Single “Takes A Second”

Nerves by Erin Plaice / West Irish punks NERVES unleash chaos and catharsis with a blistering new single and haunting EP artwork.

NERVES UNLEASH CHAOS & CATHARSIS WITH “TAKES A SECOND” + ANNOUNCE NEW EP ‘IARMHAIREACHT’

West Irish Avant-Punks Return August 15 With Their Most Personal—and Political—Work Yet

HMU has had its eye on Ireland’s noise scene for a minute, and now Nerves has snapped our necks clean. The West Irish four-piece just dropped “Takes A Second,” a blistering, slow-burning single that ratchets tension like a horror score and detonates in a cathartic punk release. The track arrives alongside news of their upcoming EP Iarmhaireacht, produced by Daniel Fox (Gilla Band), due out August 15.

A follow-up to 2024’s Glórach, this new era sees Nerves sounding bigger, sharper, and more brutal. They’ve leveled up their live show, packed out rooms across Ireland, and earned slots alongside The Jesus Lizard, HMLTD, and Maruja. Their April single “Dirty Fingers” earned co-signs from Kerrang!, The Line of Best Fit, and Louder Than War—but “Takes A Second” goes even deeper. It’s not just a breakup song; it’s a breakdown song. According to frontman Kyle Thornton, it’s “the death knell of a romantic relationship—the acceptance that the bond now exists on borrowed time.”

The track mixes electronic dread with distorted punk urgency. Looping guitar static gives way to a spiraling wall of sound, and Fox’s production handles the slow-burn and sonic collapse with surgical precision. HMU’s Travis Brown called the track “an adrenaline-fueled modern New Wave punk frenzy that steals you straight from the intro.”

But Iarmhaireacht isn’t just about emotional wreckage—it’s steeped in political consciousness and cultural reclamation. The EP uses archival Irish audio samples (from 1950s broadcasts to folklore) to draw links between generational trauma, mental illness, rural decay, and the Irish emigration crisis. This is punk made with purpose.

“Iarmhaireacht” translates to “aftermath,” and the entire EP feels like an excavation—of history, identity, and personal chaos. The cover art, which blends Wren Day traditions with a gothic Wicker Man/Silent Hill aesthetic, is as haunting as the songs it represents. This is a band proudly Irish, leftist, and unafraid to confront uncomfortable truths in both their music and their homeland.

Travis summed it up best: Nerves has a new fan in me.

"Takes A Second" single artwork / NERVES band promo photo for Iarmhaireacht EP featuring eerie Wren Day-inspired costumes.

EP Details:

Iarmhaireacht tracklisting:

Intro

Takes A Second

Dirty Fingers

Through My Chest

Iarmhar

Act of Contrition

Neifinn

Don't Let Go

Nerves are:

Kyle Thornton - vocals, guitar

Ryan Mortell - bass, backing vocals

Eoin Keigher - guitar

Adam Nealon - drums

🗓 Iarmhaireacht drops August 15

🔥 Listen to “Takes A Second” and “Dirty Fingers” now

🎧 Recommended if you like: Gilla Band, The Birthday Party, Nine Inch Nails, IDLES, and late-night existential dread

Follow Nerves:

@nerves_ire | Stream on all platforms | Pre-save the EP today.