Shura - Nothing's Real

Manchester’s Shura glistens on her debut Nothing’s Real, a considered effort so long in the making that the website ‘hasshurafinishedheralbumyet.com’ became a running joke amongst fans. The resulting electro-pop hurricane strikes a perfect balance between solid pop songs and drawn-out voyages of musical discovery. A radio-friendly string of three-minute-somethings launches the record steadily, before Shura reveals her true colours on Kidz ‘n’ Stuff, a starry number that sprinkles fairy dust over adverse lyrics. What Happened to Us? is a highlight, structured perfectly with an anthemic chorus and War on Drugs-inspired guitar. Romance in all its forms is a clear focus of Shura’s songwriting, but where more conventional pop artists might contort the theme for marketability, she is raw and open, no more so than on 2Shy; the track that brought Shura her initial hype stands firmly in its stead as bittersweet lyrics melt into glossy percussion, capping the bulk of the record before things get crazy. White Light is Shura’s masterpiece – seven minutes of spaced-out wonderment that snakes and twirls like a soaring asteroid. Not to be outdone, ten minutes of The Space Tapes act both as a sampler and the cherry on top for a truly exciting breakthrough from a talent to watch.