After an exceptional year and a dazzling start to 2025, Dublin-based electropunk trio YARD returns to the forefront with their second eponymous EP, YARD II. This new opus, which marks the end of a first cycle for the band, brings together two new tracks (‘Essential Tremor’ and ‘Friction’) as well as three rearranged songs: “Lawmaker”, “Big Shoes” and “Auto Erotic”.

The first single, “Essential Tremor”, an explosive fusion of post-punk and pulsating techno, doesn’t just announce the band’s intentions: it propels them forward with raw, relentless and elusive intensity. This track, a veritable sonic manifesto, confirms YARD as one of the most innovative projects on the Irish underground scene.

Driven by a sound that is both relentless and immersive, YARD has made a name for itself with captivating live performances and a stage presence that is as unsettling as it is hypnotic. Their universe, without genre boundaries but deeply rooted in intensity, draws as much from Death Grips, Nine Inch Nails and The Prodigy as it does from their own dystopian aesthetic.

‘Essential Tremor’ perfectly embodies this unique sonic identity. The track is bursting with energy and aggression, mixing heavy rock, grunge and sharp electronic textures. It opens with dazzling layers, thunderous percussion and massive riffs, carried by Emmet White’s angry vocals. The result is organised chaos that instantly captures the listener’s attention and makes them want to experience YARD live on stage. As the track progresses, it builds tension and intensity until a final explosion that resonates far beyond its last note.

Lyrically, the song explores health-related anxieties: hypochondria, anxiety about diagnoses, and discomfort with medical consultations. Ageing means facing physical complications, treatments and operations that remind everyone of the fragility of the body. This confrontation, both frightening and inevitable, forces us to come to terms with a new version of ourselves.

Next comes “Big Shoes”, which addresses financial insecurity and the anxiety it causes, particularly among a generation marked by economic crises and the dematerialisation of money. The work depicts a world where complex and inaccessible financial systems fuel shame, social pressure and disengagement in the face of a reality that has become uncontrollable.

With “Friction”, YARD delivers a powerful thrash track, marked by the addition of live drums and the first collaboration with Adam Faulkner, drummer of the band Gilla Band. Recorded at Yellow Door Music Studios, his performance breathes new energy into the track. Thematically, the song evokes social exhaustion and a feeling of disconnection from others, combining observation and introspection. This tension between the need for connection and inner isolation creates the “friction” that drives the entire track.

The band also revisits “Lawmaker”, their seminal song released in 2022, which was recently featured in episode 6 of the Netflix series House of Guinness. With hindsight, YARD now sees it as a reflection on isolated and selfish figures, prisoners of a system they themselves have built. This new version no longer merely denounces: it seeks to understand. “Lawmaker” thus becomes a meditation on toxic behaviour, isolation and the difficulty of breaking one’s own patterns.

Echoing this, “Auto Erotic” concludes the EP by exploring the vulnerability of intimacy and the search for a balance between withdrawal and openness. Emmet White revisits the original intention of the song, which has long been part of the band’s repertoire. Carried by a hypnotic crescendo, this version conveys the shift between control and abandonment, between tension and calm. It reflects the evolution of YARD, which here achieves a form of artistic fulfilment. ‘Auto Erotic’ thus marks the end of a cycle and already heralds the trio’s upcoming transformation.

In parallel with this release, YARD announces the joint release of its first two EPs in January 2026 in the form of a double-sided 12-inch vinyl, in collaboration with Dinked Edition (limited edition of 500 copies). This box set will include a signed print, exclusive illustrations and a unique vinyl colour.

Thus, YARD II brings the trio’s first period to a close, while paving the way for a new era: bolder, more intense and even freer.