Nothing Happens Twice, Except Gurriers Getting Better
by Lauren Chenette
Gurriers have never sounded particularly interested in taking their foot off the accelerator, and Nobody’s Coming To Save You is no exception. If anything, Dublin’s favorite merchants have simply figured out how to drive faster without losing control.
Following 2024’s Come And See, the band’s second album feels bigger, sharper and more confident, while still carrying that wonderfully scrappy sense of chaos that makes Gurriers so exciting. The guitars are abrasive, the bass sounds like it could crack concrete, and Dan Hoff remains one of the most immediately recognizable frontmen around, switching between a sneer, a shout, and something surprisingly melodic without ever sounding forced.
The title track sets the tone, throwing you straight into a world of distortion, urgency, and huge hooks. From there, “Party Lines” keeps the momentum going with its relentless rhythm, while “Shades” and “Today Is Not Enough” show the band stretching their sound into darker, more electronic territory. It’s a welcome evolution, and Gurriers haven’t abandoned the post-punk foundation of their debut, but they’re clearly having fun messing with them.
And then there’s “Nothing Happens Twice,” arguably the album’s centerpiece. It captures the strange feeling of living in a world where everything is happening all the time, yet somehow nothing seems to change. It’s frantic, danceable, and slightly unsettling, and basically Gurriers distilled into four minutes.
What really makes the album work, though, is that the noise never feels like noise for noise’s sake. Beneath the snarling guitars and pounding drums is a band with plenty to say, but they rarely sacrifice a good song for the sake of making a point. Even when the subject matter gets heavy, there’s an undeniable sense of fun in the music.
By the time “Crybaby” rolls around, Gurriers have made their case pretty convincingly. Nobody’s Coming To Save You is angry, catchy, messy, and enormous, and is a record that sounds built for sweaty venues but somehow loses none of its impact through headphones. Gurriers aren’t reinventing themselves, they’re simply getting very, very good at being Gurriers.
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