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 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), Adam Abrutyn (Drum kit, drums), and Andrew Langer (guitar). They formed at Tufts ...

, formed in 2006, which ended with ''

Mysterious Power ''Mysterious Power'' is the third studio album by Ezra Furman and the Harpoons. It was released on April 5, 2011 as the follow-up to 2008's ''Inside the Human Body''. It was the band's last album; Ezra Furman has since gone on to record music unde ...

'' (2011). Her subsequent work has included the albums ''

Day of the Dog ''Day of the Dog'' is the second album by Australian hip hop group Bliss n Eso. It was released via Illusive Sounds in March 2006 in both vinyl and CD formats. The title is a metaphor for Australian hip hop being the 'underdog' of the Austral ...

'' (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 Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

series ''

Sex Education Sex education, also known as sexual education, sexuality education or sex ed, is the instruction of issues relating to human sexuality, including emotional relations and responsibilities, human sexual anatomy, Human sexual activity, sexual acti ...

''.

Career

Ezra Furman and the Harpoons

was a four-piece rock band active between 2006 and 2011. The band consisted of Ezra Furman (

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

), Job Mukkada (

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

), Drew "Adam" Abrutyn (

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

), and Andrew Langer (

). They formed at

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...

in 2006. They released four albums: the self-released ''Beat Beat Beat'' (2006), followed by ''

Banging Down the Doors ''Banging Down the Doors'' is the first officially released album by Ezra Furman & The Harpoons. It was released in 2007. The titles on the album are largely the same as those originally recorded and self-released by the band as ''Beat Beat Beat' ...

'' (2007), ''

Inside the Human Body ''Inside the Human Body'' is a 2008 album by Ezra Furman & The Harpoons. It was Furman's second officially released album, following the previous year's '' Banging Down the Doors''. Track listing # "We Should Fight" # "Take Off Your Sunglasses" # ...

'' (2008) and ''

'' (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 ''

'', Furman recorded a solo album, entitled ''

The Year of No Returning ''The Year of No Returning'' is a 2012 album by Ezra Furman. Having previously released three albums as 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 Ezr ...

'', without a label. Furman raised money through

Kickstarter Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...

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 Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

), Ben Joseph (

keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

), and Sam Durkes (

). Tim Sandusky (

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...

) joined in 2013.

''Day of the Dog''

Furman released ''

'' 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 ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' 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 ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'': "A bratty, ragged take on

New York Dolls New York Dolls were an American rock band formed in New York City in 1971. Along with the Velvet Underground and the Stooges, they were one of the first bands of the early punk rock scenes. Although the band never achieved much commercial succe ...

, Spector-era

Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...

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 ''

'', 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''

Ezra Furman At The Lexington (28345286369)

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 (Thirty-Three and a Third) is a series of books, each about a single music album. The series title refers to the rotation speed of a vinyl LP, RPM. History Originally published by Continuum, the series was founded by editor David Barker in ...

published a book by Furman about

Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. ...

's album ''

Transformer A transformer is a passive component that transfers electrical energy from one electrical circuit to another circuit, or multiple circuits. A varying current in any coil of the transformer produces a varying magnetic flux in the 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 Donald Trump's tenure as the List of presidents of the United States, 45th president of the United States began with Inauguration of Donald Trump, his inauguration on January 20, 2017, and ended on January 20, 2021. Trump, a Republican Party ...

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 The Jewish diaspora ( he, תְּפוּצָה, təfūṣā) or exile (Hebrew: ; Yiddish: ) is the dispersion of Israelites or Jews out of their ancient ancestral homeland (the Land of Israel) and their subsequent settlement in other parts of th ...

. ''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 Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...

, Future Islands and Perfume Genius. ''

'' 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 Transphobia is a collection of ideas and phenomena that encompass a range of negative attitudes, feelings, or actions towards transgender people or transness in general. Transphobia can include fear, aversion, hatred, violence or anger tow ...

", "increasingly corporate-owned music venues", "

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

" and "the demands of

mother ] A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given childbirth, birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the cas ...

hood" 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 Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

. Her father is from a Jewish family, and her mother

converted to Judaism Conversion to Judaism ( he, גיור, ''giyur'') is the process by which non-Jews adopt the Jewish religion and become members of the Jewish ethnoreligious community. It thus resembles both conversion to other religions and naturalization. " ...

. Furman plans to become a

rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...

, and starting in late 2021, is attending the rabbinical school of

Hebrew College Hebrew College is a private college of Jewish studies in Newton Centre, Massachusetts. Founded in 1921, Hebrew College is committed to Jewish scholarship in a pluralistic, trans-denominational academic environment. The president of the college i ...

Newton, Massachusetts Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is approximately west of downtown Boston. Newton resembles a patchwork of thirteen villages, without a city center. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the population of Ne ...

. Furman is

bisexual Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whi ...

, and uses

she/her In Modern English, ''she'' is a singular, feminine, third-person pronoun. Morphology In Standard Modern English, ''she'' has four shapes representing five distinct word forms: * ''she'': the nominative (subjective) form * ''her'': the a ...

and

they/them Singular ''they'', along with its inflected or derivative forms, ''them'', ''their'', ''theirs'' and ''themselves'' (or ''themself''), is a gender-neutral third-person pronoun. It typically occurs with an unspecified antecedent, in sentence ...

pronouns. She came out as a

transgender woman A trans woman or a transgender woman is a woman who was assigned male at birth. Trans women have a female gender identity, may experience gender dysphoria, and may transition; this process commonly includes hormone replacement therapy and som ...

in late April 2021. Prior to this, she identified as

genderqueer Non-binary and genderqueer are umbrella terms for gender identities that are not solely male or femaleidentities that are outside the gender binary. Non-binary identities fall under the transgender umbrella, since non-binary people typically ...

. Furman has three siblings, and has a child. Furman resides in

Somerville, MA Somerville ( ) is a city located directly to the northwest of Boston, and north of Cambridge, in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a total population of 81,045 people. With an area o ...

. Her younger brother Jonah was the lead singer and bassist of the

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

-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

* ''

'' (2007) * ''

'' (2008) * ''

'' (2011)

Solo

* ''

'' (2012) * ''

'' (2013) * '' Perpetual Motion People'' (2015) * '' Transangelic Exodus'' (2018) * '' Twelve Nudes'' (2019) * ''All of Us Flames'' (2022)

Extended plays

* ''

Songs by Others ''Songs by Others'' is a Record Store Day exclusive extended play of covers performed by the Chicago artist Ezra Furman and her backing band The Boy-Friends. The release featured a 12-inch LP on clear heavyweight vinyl and a digital download stick ...

'' (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

{{DEFAULTSORT:Furman, Ezra 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 Singers from Chicago Transgender bisexual women American women rock singers Bisexual singer-songwriters Bisexual songwriters Bisexual singers Jewish American musicians Jewish American songwriters