Emerging from the rich and furious Dublin scene, the quintet delivers on its second album a colossal sound laid over outsized melodies and ruthlessly political lyrics.
The title of this second album sounds like a warning, almost a threat. Nobody’s Coming to Save You. In other words, listening to Gurriers is not a casual act: it means facing the wall, being caught in a crash of jagged guitars and martial rhythms. It’s also a title to be heard as a call to action.
“No one will mobilize if everyone waits for someone else to do it; we all must play our part to move things,” sums up the Dublin quintet, whose decidedly rebellious stance resonates with that of its elders (Gilla Band, Fontaines D.C.).
A band that refuses to blindly follow the current post-punk herd
On Nobody’s Coming to Save You, Dan Hoff and his bandmates erupt against policies that squander public funds, speak on behalf of Sudan and Palestine, rail against nepotism, fantasize about the end of the world, and point to the absurdities of capitalism.
“I feel that political awareness is now inevitable, simply out of necessity, and that it shapes the world we live in,” continues Dan Hoff. “So it is impossible for us to write about the world except through this lens.”
In terms of the sound, Nobody’s Coming to Save You owes a lot to its two producers – Mark Bowen (Idles) and Loren Humphrey (Adam Green, Cameron Winter) – who managed to preserve the energy of the live show while hinting in snatches at the emergence of a heavier, more massive sound. The sound of a band that refuses to blindly follow the current post-punk herd and thus crafts conquering, fairly expansive choruses, suited for large gatherings.
“What we needed? A colossal sound that literally slams in your face”
“When you listen to interviews with Butch Vig or various grunge bands, you understand the need to keep layering more and more to achieve bombastic tracks. That’s exactly what we needed: a gigantic sound that literally slams in your face.”
All that Gurriers had promised since their turbulent beginnings five years ago is thus realized here in outsized melodies (the title track, Pins), sometimes abrasive (Party Lines), at other times romantic (I Wish I Was). It’s a bit as if, reassured by the enthusiasm around Come and See (2024), the Irish had decided to sharpen their game and now let themselves be carried by the punch of their songs.
Nobody’s Coming to Save You (PIAS). Out September 25. Live at the Trabendo, Paris, on December 3.
