A punk band's playlist featuring Eraserhead, Batman Forever, Lost In Translation, and A Fistful of Dollars tells you more about who Gurriers are than most interview Q&As ever could. The Dublin band are this week's subject for NME's The Cover, with a feature written by NME news editor Andrew Trendell and photography by Joseph Bishop shot in Manchester, alongside an exclusive playlist titled "Favourite Film Songs" featuring tracks from Elliott Smith, Dead Kennedys, Wolf Alice, U2, Sufjan Stevens and more, now streaming on Apple Music and Spotify.
This exposure lands right before the band's upcoming second album, "Nobody's Coming To Save You." The playlist spans David Lynch's experimental noir, '90s comic book action flicks, Sofia Coppola's urban alienation, and spaghetti westerns—and just from that combination of titles alone, you can tell this band has no intention of being pinned down to a single aesthetic.
The word "Gurriers" itself carries a negative charge, roughly meaning "hooligan" or "delinquent" in Dublin slang. Guitarist Mark MacCormack addressed the gap between the band's name and their actual vibe in the interview: "It's got a lot of negative connotations, it makes you think of like a thug or a hoodlum. But what we're actually trying to get across is this idea of community. Our live show is over the top, unhinged, a bit mad, but it's always about encouraging you to be your true, whole self, have fun, and feel accepted."
Bassist Charlie McCarthy described the band as "an extension of our anger," an emotion that comes through directly on the new album. Frontman Dan Hoff said the core of "Nobody's Coming To Save You" is "dreams, decay, and desire," and spoke about where the record's political rage comes from: "If people believe they can do it, they can rise up against the system. We need each other to make that happen—that's us versus them."
Gurriers' full Cover interview and their "Favourite Film Songs" playlist are now live on NME's website. An exact release date for the band's second album, "Nobody's Coming To Save You," was not mentioned in the materials published so far.