Nothing's Real

''Nothing's Real'' is the debut studio album by the English singer Shura, released on 8 July 2016 by Polydor Records. The album was met with positive reviews from music critics.

Critical reception

''Nothing's Real'' received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 79, based on 18 reviews. Heather Phares of AllMusic wrote that ''Nothing's Real'' "boasts richer songwriting and wider-ranging sounds than might have been expected", concluding that the album "marks Shura as the kind of smart pop star the 2010s need." Rob Mesure of ''musicOMH'' called the album "beautifully constructed" and stated, "The sound might be '80s, but this is undeniably now, and Shura a new star in 2016's increasingly bible-black night." Andrew Paschal of ''PopMatters'' commented that the album is "packed with solid, infectious, deeply catchy pop songs, most all of which can stand alone just as easily as they can run with the pack." Writing for ''Pitchfork'', Laura Snapes remarked that Shura is "at the vanguard of a scene of young queer pop stars who are updating the '80s model of self-sufficient, fully liberated mainstream pop", adding that the album "offers a fresh vision for pop's new reality."

Lisa Henderson of '' Clash'' opined, "Previously heard tracks still stand up as pop juggernauts but there's an obvious growth that has happened during the two-year wait; sonically and lyrically, Shura is at her most urgent and incisive." Harriet Gibsone of ''The Guardian'' felt that the album's "more uptempo moments are especially promising; melodies so satisfying she should consider handing them to a major-league artist in need of a reboot." Hannah Ziegler of ''Exclaim!'' viewed the album as "a neon sugar rush that occasionally fizzles out with filler tracks", commenting that it "ultimately leaves a lasting impression". Joe Levy of ''Rolling Stone'' dubbed the album "a tangle of glam and glum" and wrote that Shura's videos "make clear the subjects of these songs What's It Gonna Be?', '2Shy' and 'Indecision'are often women, but on record her work is open-ended—a map to a treasure that's just never there." Hannah J. Davies of '' Q'' magazine expressed, "Avoiding the abstract experimentalism of her sample-heavy single 'The Space Tapes', she gives a fine display of how to be both retro and radio-friendly."

Accolades

Commercial performance

''Nothing's Real'' debuted at number 13 on the UK Albums Chart, selling 4,777 copies in its first week.

Track listing

Notes

* signifies an additional producer

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Nothing's Real''.

Musicians

* Shura – synths ; programming ; vocals ; keyboards ; backing vocals, programming ; percussion ; guitar ; synth bass
* Joel Laslett Pott – guitar ; keyboards, synths ; programming ; bass ; backing vocals ; percussion ; piano ; synth bass ; additional programming ; electric guitar
* Luke Saunders – synths ; synth bass, programming ; guitar ; backing vocals ; bass guitar ; electric guitar, keyboards
* Matt Ritson – drums, additional beats, percussion, samples
* Will Ritson – drums, percussion, PO-12
* Kirsty Mangan – strings
* Rachel Lander – strings
* Greg Kurstin – keyboards, drums, bass ; guitar
* Al Shux – programming, percussion, synth bass, keyboards, synths
* Maxwell Cooke – synth bass
* Ally Wilkinson – drums ; percussion
* Stephen Roberts – drums ; percussion
* Dan Grech-Marguerat – additional programming
* Giacki Watterson – beat programming
* Jonny Pilcher – piano

Technical

* Joel Laslett Pott – production ; recording engineering ; additional production
* Shura – production ; additional production
* Daniel Moyler – recording engineering
* David Wrench – mixing
* Marta Salogni – mixing assistance
* Steph Marziano – mixing assistance
* Tom Stanley – recording engineering
* Carey Willetts – recording engineering
* Mark "Spike" Stent – mixing
* Michael Freeman – mixing assistance
* Geoff Swan – mixing assistance
* Greg Kurstin – production, recording engineering
* Alex Pasco – recording engineering
* Julian Burg – recording engineering
* Al Shux – production, recording engineering
* Dan Grech-Marguerat – mixing
* Mandy Parnell – mastering

Artwork

* Mat Maitland – art direction
* Shura – art direction
* Louise Pomeroy – illustrations
* Andrew Whitton – photography

Charts

Notes

References

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2016 debut albums
Albums produced by Al Shux
Albums produced by Greg Kurstin
Interscope Records albums
Polydor Records albums
Shura (English singer) albums