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The artist has crafted her vulnerable synth-pop sound with previous albums ‘Nothing’s Real’ in 2016 and ‘Forevher’ in 2019. With ‘I Got Too Sad For My Friends’, she gave little away prior to its release with minimal captions on new ominous posts after wiping her Instagram clean. The artist gave clues to the themes of the album as she posed in numerous posts in a medieval knight costume.

Shura has continued this medieval narrative throughout the singles released in the run-up to the album, the most popular being the recent hit ‘World’s Worst Girlfriend’.

Shura has spoken about the lengthy process of the album, sharing with Dork Magazine that “it’s the longest I’ve lived with music before releasing it.” – apt for a record that she also describes as her most personal release. The artist’s previous music has delved into emotions surrounding love and heartbreak with her most listened to track ‘Touch’ from ‘Nothing’s Real’ delving into difficulties in relationships through a dreamy bedroom-pop sound. The album’s bubbly sound claimed Number 13 on the UK Official Albums chart. She says, “I was very comfortable occupying that emotional space, but this felt different. I was not comfortable.”

‘I Got Too Sad For My Friends’ elevates her sound with the incorporation of new instruments and assisting production from Luke Smith who has worked on music from artists such as Depeche Mode. She describes the change in direction as “the type of records you could curl up into and feel spooned by”. 

Shura also explains creative inspirations during the creation of the album as she dipped her toes into video game live streaming on Twitch, becoming immersed in the Dungeons & Dragons based game Balder’s Gate. The medieval visuals and unique use of woodwind in the album reveal a tie between the album and her creative pursuits outside of music. From her involvement in online gaming, the artist decided to set up a Discord for fans to interact on, which she calls Shutopia. With 10magazine, she also explains the “earthiness” of the album coming from her experience of walks during lockdown “observing as much of the natural world as much as I could”.

Since the album was created throughout the Covid lockdowns, it explores isolation in its entirety. Shura shares her favourite lyric that she feels encapsulates the full feeling of the record. From the song ‘Richardson’, she calls out, “I got too down around my friends, it was slow but they stopped answering so I stopped talking“. She explains the lyric with, “whoever I was drifted away from the rest of the world and I felt very isolated”. 

After enduring an injury from the jiu-jitsu training that was set to feature in ‘World’s Worst Girlfriend’, the artist has taken a break from live concerts and will be performing only two small shows in London following the release of her album. Find tickets to these exciting performances on the artist’s official website.

Regarding the new song, the 28-year-old indie pop act explained that it is a song about the experience with her first-date love interest taking an awkward journey in an elevator together: ““elevator girl” is partly inspired by the time I had to get an elevator to my hotel room on the 22nd floor with a first date who I’d only just met in the lobby,” said Shura.

“When we entered there were other people already in the elevator so we stayed silent because it felt weird to address the awkwardness in front of strangers. But it’s also about the elation of a first date—the fact that it can make you feel kind of high without drugs,” she continued

The “2Shy” singer also expressed her excitement to work with Ivy: “I’m stoked to have Ivy Sole contribute a verse because I’ve been a big fan ever since I first heard “Dream Girl.” I reached out over Instagram, we linked up in Brooklyn over coffee at the Lot Radio, and decided it would be fun to work on this together.”

Listen to the track below.

Back in 2016, Shura broke out with her debut album Nothing’s Real. The record helped the singer jumpstart her music career in the indie scene with remarkable electronic and synth-heavy music while placing her name as one of the most exciting LGBTQ icons in indie music. The album rose to number 13 on UK Albums Chart, spawning well-received singles like “Touch“, “Indecision“, and “White Light“.

The London-born singer returned to music for the second time last year with sophomore LP forevher. The album is Shura’s musical evolution into psychedelic music with the likes of Tame Impala, with the inspiration by her long-distance romantic relationship with her partner. The cuts from the album are “BKLYNLDN“, “religion (u can lay your hands on me)”, and “the stage“. Despite the failure to meet the success of her first album, forevher received critical acclaim from leading music critics like Pitchfork, NME, and The Line of Best Fit.

On June 6, Shura will perform at Tracks Festival in Flat Iron Square, London, along with other indie acts like Palace, Another Sky, Phoebe Green, and many more. Tracks is a new two-day festival that brings music and comedy altogether, which will take place from June 6-7. Tickets are available now here.

Photo credit: Hollie Fernando