Scottish avant‑pop maverick Gurry Wurry, the wonderfully off‑kilter project of Dave King, is back with another slice of crooked, colourful pop in the form of new single ‘The Gun Was A Quaker’, landing 29th May. It’s the first taste of his third album Glue, a record that wrestles with the art of breaking things and the impossible task of putting them back together again.
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On the surface, the track bounces along with a bright, Springsteen‑esque swagger, all sunshine and melody. But, as ever with Gurry Wurry, there’s mischief in the margins. The title nods to the pacifist Quakers and the “Quaker guns” they inspired, wooden logs painted to resemble cannons, a wartime sleight‑of‑hand that fooled enemies without firing a shot. That idea of deception sits at the heart of the song, which hides heartbreak inside its pop exterior and digs into the murky territory of conflict, mixed signals and emotional smoke‑and‑mirrors. As the press notes put it, the song “explores the messy world of conflict and deception in a relationship, leaving us wondering if it was ever real in the first place.”
Produced by Andy Monaghan of Frightened Rabbit, the track brings together a small but heavyweight cast: drummer Phil Wilkinson (Ed Harcourt, Jon Hopkins) and backing vocals from Nani Porenta, known for her work with Jacob Alon and Katie Gregson‑Macleod. It’s a tight, warm, quietly ambitious production, the kind that rewards repeat listens.
Gurry Wurry has long been one of Scotland’s most quietly inventive oddballs, and the accolades keep stacking up. Support from BBC 6 Music, BBC Introducing, Triple R, and Apple Music sits alongside praise from The Skinny, Clunk, Is This Music and Snack Mag. His first two albums both landed in Vic Galloway’s Albums of the Year, while Hairline made Steve Wide’s Triple R Tracks of the Year. Not bad for an artist who describes himself as an “avant‑pop oddball”, a label he wears with pride.
Live, he’s shared stages with the likes of Bibi Club, The High Llamas, Florry, Dick Valentine, and cult bedroom‑pop hero Dent May, while also recording with Idlewild’s Rod Jones and Hamish Hawk. It’s a CV that reads like a love letter to the left‑field, the melodic and the quietly brilliant.
Glue arrives physically on 29th May (CD, vinyl, tape, download), with a full streaming release following on 30th October. If ‘The Gun Was A Quaker’ is anything to go by, it’s shaping up to be Gurry Wurry’s most emotionally intricate and sonically playful work yet.
Live Dates
Kelburn Garden Party – 4 July
Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh – 10 July (Album launch headliner)
Belladrum Festival – 1 August
Market Bar, Inverness – 11 September
Supported by the National Lottery through Creative Scotland, this new chapter feels like the moment Gurry Wurry steps fully into his own strange, shimmering universe. And honestly, it’s gorgeous to witness.
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