Shura – Nothing's Real

If proof is needed of the buzz surrounding London singer/songwriter Shura, the latest face to emerge from the post CHVRCHES synth-gen, then no look further than www.hasshurafinishedheralbumyet.com: the self-explanatory website built to put the kibosh on any lines of trite journalistic questioning. At best, such a move could be read as effacing, tongue-in-cheek hubris; at worst a canny marketing ploy by the beaks upstairs. Thankfully, Nothing’s Real, the finished product in question, is imbued with the type of honesty that lends credence to the former.

As far as poppy coming of age records go, there’s not a lot to separate Shura from the pack on initial spins. Like most teenage neuroses, scratch beyond the surface and you’ll find there’s much more going on than first seems apparent. Malibu disco and DFA funk mask lyrical themes of mortality on the title track, while relationship meditative What’s it Gotta Be doesn’t shy from proclamations as bold as 'I still don’t believe in forever, but I wanna give it a try.' We wholeheartedly concur.