Analogue Appreciation: Shura

In ​‘World’s Worst Girlfriend’, a track from Shura’s upcoming album I Got Too Sad For My Friends, the singer-songwriter reflects on being a homebody over a summery synth-pop groove. ​“You’re always tryna get me out of this house / Keep tellin’ me it’s alright / But there’s a voice inside my head and it’s loud / Don’t wanna listen to it all night”.

Set in an open plan kitchen and living room, the music video sees her make repeated trips to the fridge, staring blankly into it – a relatable moment for many. “‘World’s Worst Girlfriend’ is me at my peak dramatic gay,” she explains about the song. ​“An anthem about feeling like a spectacularly bad girlfriend because instead of going on nice dates I mostly wanted to stay inside and hide away from the world with our cats and play video games.”

It’s a common thought process for the more introverted-minded, as well as a window into Shura’s effortless ability to blend humour and vulnerability into catchy earworms, which appears across her discography. But it’s also a nod towards her love for physical culture and objects. From analogue music equipment to old video game tidbits, they make for an important part of her home and daily life. To celebrate the release of her new album, which lands tomorrow, May 30, she picks out nine of her most treasured pieces.

• Read next: Analogue Appreciation: 47SOUL

In the pandemic, one of the many hobbies I got into was modifying old Game Boy Colours. I’d buy beat up old ones, replace the cases, LCD screens and customise them with different buttons and colours. I had to teach myself to solder which was fun and occasionally painful. This one I customised to look like an old Game Boy. The copy of Tetris has my Dad’s save file, which was at one point a world record score, although we never had it certified because we didn’t have a video recording of him playing it.

• Read next: Can video games help fight the climate crisis?

I bought this in 2015 when I first started playing shows. I remember thinking that it looked too shiny and new, and I was so anxious for it to get beat up. My guitarist Luke assured me that it would take no time at all – and as you can see – he was absolutely right. I love that you can see where the metal button of my denim jacket scratched off the paintwork. It’s also a beautiful guitar to play and has travelled the world with me, so it’s very precious.

I love old TVs. This is a JVC Videosphere that my partner gave to me as birthday present when I lived in New York City. So it’s travelled all the way back to London (in hand luggage!) now that we live here. I love that kinda looks like a space helmet (I also love space). I managed to hook it up with a digital to analogue converter so I can play TV shows on it. The latest thing I’ve been displaying on there is Arcane, because it’s fantastic.

• Read next: VCR visionary: The woman who taped 33 years of TV news

When I was at university, I got super into Magical Realism. I was reading a lot of Isabel Allende and Gabriel García Marquez and got obsessed with the idea of going to South America. So, when I finished university, I went to travel there for 6 months, alone, and took a few books. This one I read while I was volunteering at an animal sanctuary in the rainforest (where I had to walk a puma for 8 hours a day – because it could never be released into the wild). As you can see it suffered a little in the humidity. As did I!

• Read next: ​“A green favela”: The reality of life in the Brazilian Amazon

An ex of mine picked this up at an art fair and somehow when we broke up, I managed to keep custody of it. Maybe because I’d had it tattooed on me. Ha. We used it in the artwork for my first album (where we had to recreate my bedroom in a studio in east London) and I remember having to contact the estate of graphic designer Robert Brownjohn to ask permission. 

2‑XL is an educational toy robot. You can buy different cassettes, and they have quizzes. I believe it was invented by a scientist who actually voiced the robot. I had one as a kid and one of the first things I did when I signed my first record deal was to go on eBay to find one. I have a lot of fun memories of furiously answering quiz questions with my twin.

I used to play as a teenager, but my dad used to get cross at me spending all my pocket money on cardboard. Last year I realised that I was a grown-up who could spend pocket money however they liked so I got back into collecting and playing. It’s such a fun and silly game and it’s a nice excuse to get together with friends for an hour – or six.

I have a lot of analogue equipment in my home studio. Analogue synths, guitar pedals, a space echo. But my favourite is the Tascam Portastudio. It’s a really fun way to make things sound fucked up and interesting. I love laying down things to cassette and then recording them back in whilst messing around with the speed settings. You can get some really wild sounds. 

• Read next: The instrument makers taking DIY music to a whole new level

This Octopus Alien was drawn by a graffiti artist UFO907. When I first started dating my current girlfriend, we would see this tag all over Brooklyn and Greenpoint. So, I heavily associate it to the very early stages of my falling in love with New York, and of course, her. She got me a little piece of merch from him and inside was one of these Priority Mail stickers with the Alien Octopus. So, I had to get it framed, and it lives with me in my home studio.

I Got Too Sad For My Friends by Shura is out tomorrow.

Buy your copy of Huck 81 here.

Enjoyed this article? Follow Huck on Instagram and sign up to our newsletter for more from the cutting edge of sport, music and counterculture.

Support stories like this by becoming a member of Club Huck.