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Forevher
Studio album by
Shura
Released16 August 2019 (2019-08-16)
Studio
Genre
Length44:00
LabelSecretly Canadian
Producer
Shura chronology
Nothing's Real
(2016) 		Forevher
(2019)
Singles from Forevher
  1. "Bklynldn"
    Released: 11 March 2019[3]
  2. "Religion (u can lay your hands on me)"
    Released: 12 June 2019[4]
  3. "The Stage"
    Released: 15 July 2019[5]

Forevher (stylized in lowercase) is the second studio album by British musician Shura. It was released on 16 August 2019 by American independent record label Secretly Canadian. The album follows Shura's critically acclaimed debut album, Nothing's Real (2016). The album artwork of Forevher is a reference to the 1882 marble sculpture The Kiss, by French sculptor Auguste Rodin.[6][7]

The album was preceded by three singles: "Bklynldn", "Religion (U Can Lay Your Hands on Me)" and "The Stage". "Religion" was supported by a music video; directed by Chloe Wallace.

A deluxe edition of the album was released on 26 March 2021, which contained three new tracks, one demo previously released on Bandcamp in 2020 and five acoustic versions of songs that appeared on the standard edition. A music video was released on 17 February 2021 to accompany one of the deluxe tracks "Obsession".

Composition

[edit]

Forevher has been described as spacey, super-melodic, immaculately produced pop.[2] It is primarily an electropop[1] and pop[2] record featuring elements of R&B,[8] funk,[9] psychedelic pop,[10] and soul.[11]

Critical reception

[edit]

Forevher received critical acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, the album received an average score of 83, based on 15 reviews.[12] Aimee Cliff of Pitchfork stated that Forevher is "looser, livelier and more ecstatic than her debut, detailing the headlong rush of falling in love"; whilst also noting "string flutters mimicking skipped heartbeats, and basslines settling into deep, well-worn grooves."[11] Callum Bains of PopMatters viewed Forevher as an "enjoyably varied album of catchy dance songs, summer jams, and introspective ballads."[10] John Murphy of musicOMH described the sound of the album as "laid-back funk", concluding that the album "is the sound of a woman happy, in love, and going from strength to strength as a songwriter".[8] Writing for NME, El Hunt comments that the record "queers up and skewers the traditional love song, beautifully articulating the giddiness of romance", adding that it "has the feel of a wonkily altered classic, drifting from warm blue pop that colours the sleeve, to quieter interludes."[13] Sophia Simon-Bashall of The Line of Best Fit remarked that the record is "equally insular and nostalgic", adding that the content "feels like an endless dreamscape". They conclude that "Shura has created something hopeful and delightfully light" in Forevher, "setting it apart from much of pop's current offerings."[14]

Accolades

[edit]
Publication Accolade Rank Ref.
The Independent The 50 Best Albums Of 2019 29 [15]
The Line of Best Fit The Best Albums of 2019 Ranked 32 [16]
Albumism The 50 Best Albums of 2019 37 [17]
Rough Trade Albums Of The Year - 2019 50 [18]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.7/10[19]
Metacritic83/100[20]
Review scores
SourceRating
Albumism[21]
AllMusic[22]
Clash8/10[23]
DIY[24]
The Line of Best Fit9/10[25]
Loud and Quiet7/10[26]
NME[27]
Pitchfork7.8/10[28]
The Skinny[29]
Sputnikmusic4.3/5[30]

Track listing

[edit]
  • All tracks produced by Shura and Joel Pott.
  • All track titles are stylized in all lowercase, except track 5, whose title is stylized in all uppercase.
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."That's Me, Just a Sweet Melody"
1:12
2."Side Effects"
4:14
3."Religion (U Can Lay Your Hands on Me)"
  • Denton
  • Pott
  • Luke Saunders
4:07
4."The Stage"
4:37
5."Bklynldn"
  • Denton
  • Pott
4:01
6."Tommy"
  • Denton
  • Higginbottom
4:16
7."Princess Leia"
  • Denton
  • Jono Ma
  • Saunders
3:43
8."Flyin'"
  • Denton
  • Pott
3:37
9."Forever"
  • Denton
  • Pott
3:56
10."Control"
  • Denton
  • Pott
5:00
11."Skyline, Be Mine"
  • Denton
  • Pott
5:17
Total length:44:00
Forevher – Deluxe edition (bonus tracks)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."magazine launch - demo"
  • Pott
  • Denton
0:58
2."elevator girl ft. Ivy Sole"
3:26
3."obsession"
3:31
4."t-shirt"
  • Higginbottom
  • Denton
3:46
5."side effects - acoustic"
  • Denton
  • Pott
3:58
6."religion (u can lay your hands on me) - acoustic"
  • Denton
  • Pott
  • Saunders
4:25
7."the stage - acoustic"
  • Denton
  • Pott
  • Higginbottom
4:42
8."Bklynldn - acoustic"
  • Denton
  • Pott
3:26
9."forever - acoustic"
  • Denton
  • Pott
3:43
Total length:75:50

Personnel

[edit]

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Forevher.

Musicians

[edit]
  • Shura – synths (track 5); programming (tracks 1, 5, 8); vocals (all tracks); piano (tracks 1, 5, 10); guitar (track 6); percussion (tracks 3 - 4, 10, 11)
  • Joel Laslett Pott – guitar (tracks 2 - 11); synths (tracks 2 - 11); programming (all tracks); backing vocals (tracks 2, 4, 5, 7, 9); percussion (tracks 2 - 5, 8 - 11); piano (tracks 1 - 2, 5, 8 - 9); synth bass (tracks 4, 6 - 7); mellotron (tracks 2, 4, 10); wurlitzer (track 7)
  • Luke Saunders – synths (tracks 3, 11); guitar (tracks 3 - 4, 11); backing vocals (tracks 4 - 5)
  • Liam Hutton – drums (tracks 2 - 5, 8 - 11)
  • Axel Ekermann - bass (tracks 2 - 5, 8 - 11)
  • Rosie Lowe - backing vocals (tracks 2, 5 - 9)
  • Kerry Leatham - backing vocals (tracks 2, 5 - 6, 8 - 9)
  • Reva Gauntlett - backing vocals (tracks 2, 5, 6, 8)
  • Pauline Le Mell - backing vocals (tracks 5, 8)
  • Daniel Moyer - programming (track 3)
  • Peter Gordon - saxophone (tracks 5, 8)
  • Jonny Pilcher - strings arrangement (tracks 5, 8); piano (track 6)
  • Will Miller - trumpet / horn arrangement (track 6)
  • Jono Ma - synths (track 11); percussion (track 11)
  • Orlando Higginbottom - piano (track 4)

Technical

[edit]
  • Shura – production (all tracks)
  • Joel Laslett Pott – production (all tracks); recording engineering (all tracks)
  • Daniel Moyer - recording engineering (all tracks)
  • Jono Ma - recording engineering (track 11); additional production (track 11)
  • Tom Archer - production assistance (tracks 2 - 3, 5 - 10)
  • Jamie McEvoy - production assistance (track 10)
  • Marta Salogni - mixing (all tracks)
  • Heba Kadry - mastering (all tracks)
  • Nathanael Graham - assistance (tape recording) (track 6)

Artwork

[edit]
  • Hollie Fernando – photography
  • Ellen Blocksidge - modelling
  • Milly Cope - modelling
  • Katie Evans - printing
  • Miles Johnson - design

Charts

[edit]
Chart (2019) Peak
position
Scottish Albums (OCC)[31] 32
UK Albums (OCC)[32] 61
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[33] 44
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[34] 19

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Shura – 'forevher' review". Crack Magazine. Archived from the original on April 4, 2022. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c "Shura: Forevher review – airy summer jams". the Guardian. August 18, 2019. Archived from the original on April 1, 2022. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  3. ^ "BKLYNLDN – Single by Shura". Spotify. United Kingdom. Archived from the original on April 9, 2022. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  4. ^ "religion (u can lay your hands on me) – Single by Shura". Spotify. United Kingdom. Archived from the original on April 9, 2022. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  5. ^ "The Stage – Single by Shura". Spotify. United Kingdom. Archived from the original on April 9, 2022. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  6. ^ Minsker, Evan; Strauss, Matthew (June 12, 2019). "Shura Announces New Album forevher, Shares New Song". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on June 29, 2019. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
  7. ^ Spruch, Kirsten (June 12, 2019). "Shura Announces New Album 'Forevher,' Drops Cinematic 'Religion' Video: Watch". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 13, 2019. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
  8. ^ a b "Shura - Forevher | Album Reviews". musicOMH. August 12, 2019. Archived from the original on April 1, 2022. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  9. ^ "Shura – Forevher – Album review". Loud And Quiet. Archived from the original on September 29, 2020. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  10. ^ a b "Shura's 'forevher' Is an Earnest Depiction of Nascent Love, PopMatters". PopMatters. August 21, 2019. Archived from the original on April 4, 2022. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  11. ^ a b "Shura: forevher". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on November 7, 2020. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  12. ^ "Forevher by Shura Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Archived from the original on July 23, 2020. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  13. ^ "Shura – 'Forevher' album review". NME. August 16, 2019. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  14. ^ "Shura's forevher is a boldly romantic, optimistic triumph of a second album". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on August 8, 2020. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  15. ^ "The 50 best albums of 2019 – from Tyler, the Creator's IGOR to Weyes Blood's Titanic Rising". The Independent. December 20, 2019. Archived from the original on December 20, 2019. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  16. ^ "The Best Albums of 2019 Ranked". The Line of Best Fit. December 20, 2019. Archived from the original on December 21, 2019. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  17. ^ "ALBUMISM SELECTS: The 50 Best Albums of 2019". Albumism. November 24, 2019. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  18. ^ "ALBUMS OF THE YEAR - 2019". Rough Trade. November 14, 2019. Archived from the original on January 15, 2020. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  19. ^ "forevher by Shura reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Archived from the original on August 14, 2019. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  20. ^ "Forevher by Shura Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Archived from the original on July 23, 2020. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  21. ^ Hocter, Matthew (September 2, 2019). "Shura Crafts a Powerful Paean to Love & Romance with Revelatory 'forevher'". Albumism. Archived from the original on January 27, 2021. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  22. ^ "Forevher - Shura". AllMusic. Archived from the original on September 17, 2021. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  23. ^ Barnes, Charlie (August 16, 2019). "Shura - forevher". Clash. Archived from the original on August 16, 2019. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  24. ^ Lismore, Kate (August 16, 2019). "Shura - forevher". DIY. Archived from the original on October 28, 2020. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  25. ^ Simon-Bashall, Sophia (August 14, 2019). "Shura's forevher is a boldly romantic, optimistic triumph of a second album". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on August 8, 2020. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  26. ^ Wallace, Megan (August 13, 2019). "Shura – Forevher – Album review". Loud and Quiet. Archived from the original on September 29, 2020. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  27. ^ Hunt, El (August 16, 2019). "Shura – 'Forevher' album review". NME. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  28. ^ Cliff, Aimee (August 15, 2019). "Shura: forevher Album Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on November 7, 2020. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  29. ^ Skala, Jemima (August 13, 2019). "Shura album review: forevher". The Skinny. Archived from the original on August 13, 2019. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  30. ^ "Review: Shura - forevher". Sputnikmusic. August 17, 2019. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  31. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
  32. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
  33. ^ "{{{artist}}} Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  34. ^ "{{{artist}}} Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
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