Described as “an ode to caring less,” Happy For Now is the melodic new album with eclectic pop flair from Gurry Wurry, the project of Scottish artist Dave King. “It’s about being content with the fragility of everything. Including that contentment itself,” King says of the album, which was recorded with Rod Jones (Idlewild, Hamish Hawk, Redolent). The overall theme is relatable in capturing the fragility of day-to-day life — where trouble seems just around the corner, even during ideal times.
The title alone of opening track “Singin (When The Truck Hit)” is exemplary of these themes, melding twangy guitars and playful piano as King laments on unforeseen circumstances, aka “life’s car crashes.” “Treason” is another highlight; King sings that “I couldn’t hide from the hands of treason,” as strings and woodwinds assemble with chamber-pop intrigue; its flourishing, melodic production is fantastic and immersive, with fond shades of BC Camplight.
Happy For Now is consistently impressive in its tonally subdued yet emotively powerful range of pop songwriting, from the eerie fusing of piano and acoustics on “Haunt Me” to the playful buoyancy within “Two Feet Tall,” conveying a sense of “walking the wire,” through life. Dave King’s songwriting emanates with charming, relatable qualities throughout.
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We discovered this release via MusoSoup, as part of the artist’s promotional campaign.