I Got Too Sad For My Friends
The central theme running through the beguiling third album by Shura is stripping everything back and starting over, no matter how daunting that feels. *I Got Too Sad for My Friends* marks a complete artistic reset for the London-born, Manchester-raised singer-songwriter, one that grew out of a period of emotional turmoil. Moving away from the sad banger synth-pop of her first two records, 2016’s *Nothing’s Real* and 2019 follow-up *forevher*, it’s a record steeped in an Americana-ish sway and folky reassurance. Shura found that the way out of the gloom that enveloped her during lockdown, where she was increasingly cutting herself off from her inner-circle, was to return to how she’d written songs as a teenager: alone in a room with an acoustic guitar. It gave her a path back, the route that led to the hazy, wistful warmth of *I Got Too Sad for My Friends*. It opened up a dramatic overhaul in how she made music. Working with a new producer (Foals and Depeche Mode collaborator Luke Smith), Shura got down the majority of the record in live takes that were tweaked and honed further down the line, constantly daring herself to try new things. It has taken her to the defining album of her career so far, a record full of rich melodic hooks and a soothing melancholic glow, from the country longing of “Richardson” via the expansive ’80s pop of “Recognise” to doe-eyed campfire ditties (plaintive closer “Bad Kid”). It’s a fresh start in all the best ways, a third album that feels like a startling debut. Her pals would surely agree—it was all worth it in the end.
The mood is downcast on the English singer’s third album, but the record’s lush warmth and occasional touch of self-aware humor offer a welcome counterbalance.
I Got Too Sad For My Friends is a wonderfully made piece of easy listening, taking Shura away from the love-sick girl of the 2010s.
The new album by the electro-pop musician feels like a breakthrough in songwriting via vulnerability
'I Got Too Sad For My Friends' represents an artist brave enough to document the smiles and tears behind the melancholy.
The third studio album from Shura, I Got Too Sad For My Friends, is a lesson in melancholy, but that isn't the full story.
Shura, real name Alexandra Denton, has been away long enough to label her return with new album - the honestly titled - ‘I Got Too Sad for My Friends’, a