Gurry Wurry Unpacks the Heartbreak Hidden Inside New Single ‘The Gun Was A Quaker’

Scottish avant-pop maverick Gurry Wurry returns on 29 May with The Gun Was A Quaker, the latest single from his forthcoming third album, Glue.

Produced by Andy Monaghan, the track pairs bright, Springsteen-esque pop with themes of conflict, illusion and emotional uncertainty. Inspired by the historical “Quaker guns” — wooden logs painted to resemble cannons — the song explores the ways relationships can conceal tension beneath an outwardly harmonious surface.

Ahead of the release, Dave King talks about the metaphor behind the song, working with Andy Monaghan, and why he loves hiding heartbreak inside a pop banger.

The Gun Was A Quaker pairs a deceptively upbeat, Springsteen-esque sound with themes of conflict and emotional deception—what drew you to hiding something so heavy inside such a catchy pop framework?

I’ve always loved songs that do that, I think it just adds another dimension, another layer to peel back. Born In The USA is a great example of it. And for this tune it just really fitted the whole idea. ‘Quaker guns’ were all about trickery… making people believe that a painted log was a cannon. And so I liked the idea of making people believe this sad song was actually a pop banger.

The title references Quaker pacifism and the idea of “Quaker guns” as a form of illusion—how does that metaphor connect to the dynamics explored in the song?

I think sometimes in a relationship you know there are issues you need to talk about, maybe even fight about, but if you’re not really an ‘agro’ person it’s just much easier to avoid them. And then you end up in these weird scenarios where neither of you knows what the other one feels or what’s true or what’s real. You can end up questioning everything. They’re quite complex feelings to try and explain in rational words, but I liked the layers of the metaphor – pacifism, conflict, and illusion all sort of messily glued together. If you try and peel one away you inevitably take a bit of the others with it.

Working with Andy Monaghan on production, how did his influence shape the sound and tone of this track compared to your previous work?

Andy’s brilliant. He brought a real drive and sense of scale to the record. I’m a messy thinker, I like things to be layered and complex and to turn a lot of unexpected corners. I like when melodies sort of lazily dance with each other, or things don’t quite fit neatly together. That’s cool and it keeps me amused, but it’s always in danger of turning into a complete mess. But Andy’s a tight groover – he likes a song to have a strong backbone, a clear drive, and for everything to have its own space in the sonics. I think we were the perfect foils for each other – pushing and pulling from opposite sides but with a mutual love for exploring things creatively and having fun. We really pushed each other and I think we got to something we never could’ve done alone.

Your music as Gurry Wurry often balances humour, oddity, and emotional depth—how do you approach that blend without tipping too far in one direction?

To be honest it’s not something I try too hard to consciously control or balance. I think it’s just my taste. I don’t like when sentimentality is too on the nose. But I don’t like straight up silly comedy either. It comes back to that messy thinking. I enjoy a wee bit of mental gymnastics. Things you have to work at a bit, things that don’t immediately reveal themselves, but maybe invite you in for a closer look.

With Glue described as an album about “breaking things and trying to fix them,” how does this single set the emotional or narrative tone for the rest of the record?

It’s a complicated record. Heavy in places, hopeful in places, totally hopeless in others. There are a lot of grey areas on there. A lot of messy feelings and scenarios that come up when you’re trying to work things out and piece things back together. But there was still a lot of joy that went into making it. It’s not a straightforward story and I think this tune’s a pretty good example of that.