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Jul 15, 2019 By Christopher Roberts Shura

Shura (aka Alexandra Lilah Denton) is releasing a new album, forevher, on August 16 via Secretly Canadian. Now she has shared another song from the album, “the stage,” which a press release says is inspired by Minnie Riperton and Prince. Listen below, followed by her upcoming tour dates.

The song is about Denton’s first date with her current girlfriend. Denton had this to say about it in a press release: “I had travelled to NYC to go on it, so I was a little bit nervous as this was definitely THE most high stakes date I’d ever been on. I DM’d my friends MUNA who were playing a show the night that I arrived and asked them if they could get us both in, and they loved the concept of a first date at a MUNA gig. I wasn’t sure how the date was going until she took my hand whilst trying to lead me to a spot where I could see them play (i.e. basically nowhere in the venue as I’m too short!). Then I knew it was all going to be OK.”

The album is the follow-up to her 2016 debut, Nothing’s Real. Denton is British, but is based in New York. Denton co-produced the album with Joel Pott. It features Jona Ma (from Jagwar Ma), Will Miller (Whitney), and T-E-E-D, with additional vocals from Rosie Lowe, Kerry Leatham, and Reva from Nimmo. The album includes “BKLYNLDN,” a single shared back in March via a NSFW video. Then she shared a video for its second single, “religion (u can lay your hands on me)” (which was one of our Songs of the Week).

In a press release Denton describes the album as “a soul record, sung by someone who doesn’t have a traditional soul voice. And I quite enjoy the antagonism of that.”

Thematically, the album is about Denton’s long-distance relationship with her girlfriend, or as a press release puts it: “It’s a classic NYC-to-London love-story, but one told through the totally modern filter of dating apps, unanswered texts, and Skype chats.”

Chloe Wallace directed the “religion (u can lay your hands on me)” video. The press release says the song is “a mediation on queer desire that explores the concept of sex being like a religion. The song was inspired by the burgeoning love affair, a time of constant texts and phone calls on different continents, where the phrase ‘you can lay your hands on me’ takes on a playful meaning.”

The album cover is inspired by Rodin’s sculpture The Kiss, but instead features two women. Denton had this to say about it in the press release: “I wanted to create something that people could look at, in the way that you look at The Kiss, and think: I recognize that. Or I want that, or I crave that, or I miss that. I wanted to make something that was specific to my experience of being a queer woman that anyone of any gender or sexuality could look at and think ‘yeah, I understand’ or ‘that’s beautiful.’ Because that’s all love is.”

Shura Tour Dates:

Wed. June 19 - London, UK @ Moth Club
Thu. June 27 - Bristol, UK @ Louisiana
Sat. June 29 - Worthy Farm, UK @ Glastonbury Festival
Thu. Sept 26 - Vancouver, BC @ Venue
Fri. Sept. 27 - Seattle, WA @ Crocodile
Sat. Sept. 28 - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
Mon. Sept. 30 - San Francisco, CA @ Independent
Wed.. Oct. 2 - Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom
Thu. Oct. 3 - Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
Wed. Oct. 16 - Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
Thu. Oct. 17 - Columbus, OH @ The Basement
Fri. Oct. 18 - Washington, DC @ Union Stage
Sat. Oct. 19 - Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
Sun. Oct. 20 - Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern
Tue. Oct. 22 - Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
Wed. Oct. 23 - Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Mon. Nov. 4 - Paris, FR @ Café de la Danse
Tue. Nov. 5 - Cologne, DE @ Luxor
Wed. Nov. 6 - Munich, DE @ Ampere
Thu. Nov. 7 - Berlin, DE @ Lido
Fri. Nov. 8 - Hamburg, DE @ Mojo
Sun. Nov. 10 - Copenhagen, DK @ Hotel Cecil
Tue. Nov. 12 - Amsterdam, NL @ Melkweg
Wed. Nov. 13 - Brussels, BE @ Botanique Orangerie
Thu. Nov. 14 - London, UK @ Roundhouse
Sat. Nov. 16 - Dublin, IE @ Academy
Sun. Nov. 17 - Glasgow, UK @ Oran Mor
Mon. Nov. 18 - Manchester, UK @ O2 Ritz Manchester

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