Ezra Furman

Ezra Furman (born September 5, 1986) is an American musician and songwriter.
Furman was the lead singer and guitarist of Ezra Furman and the Harpoons, formed in 2006, which ended with Mysterious Power (2011). Her subsequent work has included the albums Day of the Dog (2013), Perpetual Motion People (2015), Transangelic Exodus (2018), and All of Us Flames (2022), as well as parts of the soundtrack for all four seasons of the Netflix series Sex Education.
Career
Ezra Furman and the Harpoons
Ezra Furman and the Harpoons were a four-piece rock band active between 2006 and 2011. The band consisted of Ezra Furman (vocals, guitar), Job Mukkada (bass guitar), Drew "Adam" Abrutyn (drums), and Andrew Langer (guitar). They formed at Tufts University in 2006. They released four albums: the self-released Beat Beat Beat (2006), followed by Banging Down the Doors (2007), Inside the Human Body (2008) and Mysterious Power (2011). The group broke up in 2011, and Furman began touring as a solo artist. After their contract with Minty Fresh Records expired, the band released a self-produced compilation album in 2009, Moon Face: Bootlegs and Road Recordings 2006–2009, which included live recordings and some of Furman's solo work.
The Year of No Returning
After touring in support of the album Mysterious Power, Furman recorded a solo album, entitled The Year of No Returning, without a label. Furman raised money through Kickstarter to fund the recording and self-release of the album. The album was recorded at Studio Ballistico, located at the time in the attic of the house Furman was living in, and produced by Tim Sandusky, who owned both the house and the studio. The album was released in February 2012. At the end of the year, Furman signed to Bar/None Records, who re-released The Year of No Returning in the summer of 2013.
The touring band Ezra Furman and the Boy-Friends formed in spring of 2012, and toured in support of The Year of No Returning. The band consisted of Jorgen Jorgensen (bass), Ben Joseph (keyboard, guitar), and Sam Durkes (drums). Tim Sandusky (saxophone) joined in 2013.
Day of the Dog
Furman released Day of the Dog in October 2013, also produced by Tim Sandusky, recorded at Studio Ballistico and released through Bar/None Records. This album got Furman notable press in the UK, receiving a 5/5 review in The Guardian by Michael Hann: "Ezra Furman has made an album of classicist rock'n'roll that never feels like an exercise, but a living, breathing piece of self expression", and an 8/10 review in NME: "A bratty, ragged take on New York Dolls, Spector-era Ramones and E Street Band carnival rock. An unexpected gem."
The band toured the UK in 2014 and were met with positive press. "The punk-fired rock'n'roller isn't too cool to be touched by a richly deserved rave reception", wrote Malcolm Jack for The Guardian, giving the show a five-star review. The tour finished in the autumn with a sold-out gig at Scala in London in September 2014.
Perpetual Motion People
In early 2015, Furman signed to Bella Union and on April 27, announced that a new album, Perpetual Motion People, would be released on July 6 in the UK and Europe, and on July 10 in the US. Aided by positive critical reviews, Perpetual Motion People peaked in the UK charts on its entry week at number 23. A series of concerts in Europe and the US took place to coordinate with the release of the album.
In 2016, Furman released the EP Big Fugitive Life, saying it felt like the "end of a chapter, musically" and calling the collection a "group of our favourite orphaned songs", four of which missed out on inclusion on Perpetual Motion People, and two which came from the time of The Year of No Returning.
In September 2017, Furman's social media posts indicated that the Boy-Friends, active since 2012, had been renamed or reformed as the Visions. There was no change made to the line-up of Ben Joseph, Jorgen Jorgensen, Sam Durkes, and Tim Sandusky.
Transangelic Exodus
Transangelic Exodus, Furman's seventh album, was released February 9, 2018. The album follows a narrative of Furman and an angel on the road, running away from an oppressive government. The same year, 33⅓ published a book by Furman about Lou Reed's album Transformer.
Twelve Nudes
Furman's eighth album, Twelve Nudes, was released August 30, 2019. The album was inspired by her anger at the perceived injustices of the Trump administration and late capitalism, as well as her Jewish and transgender identities. She recruited John Congleton as producer for the album.
All of Us Flames
Furman released her ninth album, All of Us Flames, also produced by Congleton, in 2022. Its themes and topics included gender envy, also drawing connections between transgender oppression and Jewish exile. Pitchfork wrote that the album "feels like the most complete picture yet of Ezra Furman as a songwriter: genres fluidly co-existing with one another, projecting a fearless image while struggling with her own internal fearfulness," and compared parts of the album to Bruce Springsteen, Future Islands and Perfume Genius. NME gave the album three stars, writing that it felt "a little heavy and dragging," but that "where it works best is that clear marriage of anger and aspiration, interwoven with Furman’s melodic drawl, musical tenderness and reverb."
In 2023, Furman announced that she would be taking a hiatus from touring, citing "a popular explosion of transphobia", "increasingly corporate-owned music venues", "COVID-19" and "the demands of motherhood" that had led to "pressure and exhaustion" upon her. She released Sex Education: Songs from Season 4, an EP of three songs made specifically for the fourth and final season of Sex Education, her music having been featured in every season of the show.
Personal life
Furman is Jewish. Her father is from a Jewish family, and her mother converted to Judaism.
Furman plans to become a rabbi, and starting in late 2021, is attending the rabbinical school of Hebrew College in Newton, Massachusetts.
Furman is bisexual, and uses she/her and they/them pronouns. She came out as a transgender woman in late April 2021. Prior to this, she identified as genderqueer.
Furman has three siblings, and has a child. Her younger brother Jonah was the lead singer and bassist of the Boston-based rock band Krill, which broke up in 2015. Their elder brother Noah is a visual artist who designed the cover of the Harpoons album Banging Down the Doors.
Discography
Albums
Ezra Furman and the Harpoons
Banging Down the Doors (2007)
Inside the Human Body (2008)
Mysterious Power (2011)
Solo
The Year of No Returning (2012)
Day of the Dog (2013)
Perpetual Motion People (2015)
Transangelic Exodus (2018)
Twelve Nudes (2019)
All of Us Flames (2022)
Extended plays
Songs by Others (2016)
Big Fugitive Life (2016)
Jam in the Van (2018)
Singles
"My Zero"/"Caroline Jones" (2013)
"Restless Year" (2015)
"Lousy Connection" (2015)
"Driving Down to LA" (2017)
"Unbelievers" (2018)
"Calm Down aka I Should Not Be Alone" (2019)
"Forever in Sunset" (2022)
References
Living people
1986 births
American rock guitarists
Bisexual women musicians
Guitarists from Chicago
LGBT people from Illinois
21st-century American guitarists
American LGBT singers
American LGBT songwriters
Bella Union artists
Bisexual Jews
Transgender women musicians
Transgender Jews
21st-century American women guitarists
20th-century American LGBT people
21st-century American LGBT people
Transgender singers
Transgender songwriters
American transgender writers
American transgender musicians