**West Irish avant-punks Nerves announce EP Iarmhaireacht arriving 15th August**

+ share abrasive new single “Takes A Second“

Nerves by Erin Plaice

Today, West Irish noise-punk group Nerves announce their second EP Iarmhaireacht, produced by Daniel Fox (Gilla Band), alongside the release of its second single, “Takes A Second”.

Since the release of their 2024 EP Glórach, Nerves have rapidly built a fierce reputation for their uncompromising live shows. Now performing as a four-piece, the band’s sound has grown in both confidence and dissonance. With sold-out headline shows across Ireland and support slots for The Jesus Lizard, Maruja, and HMLTD, their April single “Dirty Fingers” earned early praise from Kerrang!, The Line of Best Fit, Hot Press, and Louder Than War.

“Takes A Second” is a masterclass in building tension. Drawing from both noise rock and electronic music, the track begins with looped guitar static, slowly escalating into a full-blown sonic collapse. Fox’s production bridges the minimal and the ferocious, capturing a growing sense of emotional unease.

Listen to “Takes A Second” HERE
Download “Takes A Second” HERE

A mission statement for Iarmhaireacht, the song explores the final stage of a collapsing relationship, viewed through the lens of mental decline. As vocalist Kyle Thornton explains, “It’s the death knell of a romantic relationship – the acceptance that the bond now exists on borrowed time.” The track sets the tone for a record that navigates themes of mental illness, substance abuse, and emigration, against a backdrop of rural Irish life.

Lyrically, Iarmhaireacht is intensely personal yet deeply rooted in Irish history and culture. Through the use of archival samples – from old TV footage to folklore and podcasts – the EP draws a haunting parallel between past and present struggles in Ireland, a comment on history repeating itself. As vocalist Kyle Thornton explains, “Any older piece of media you find talking about mental health in the west of Ireland, emigration, the slow degradation of rural Ireland or issues with drinking culture, all have relevance to modern Ireland too. A recording from 1951 talking about how lack of jobs and emigration have left working class rural people feeling forgotten and abandoned has as much relevance in 2025 as it did then.”

The band’s embrace of Irish identity is woven throughout the project, from the Ogham script featured on the EP’s artwork to the traditional wren boys’ dress on the singles’ covers, and the use of Irish language titles for sample interludes. This reclamation of culture is presented as inclusive and politically conscious, reflecting a left-wing resurgence in Irish cultural pride amidst contemporary nationalist currents. Drawing inspiration from literary figures like John Williams, Flann O’Brien, Albert Camus, and Samuel Beckett, Thornton’s lyrics invite listeners into intimate, diary-like confessions that reveal their full context gradually, adding narrative depth to the EP’s atmospheric soundscapes.