The Chicago native released new albums in 2018 and 2019, recorded original soundtrack material to the superb Netflix Series Sex Education (which is where I first heard her songs), moved from Brooklyn (back) to Somerville, publicly identified as a trans woman for the first time, enrolled in rabbinical school at Hebrew College, and became a mother.
TUESDAY: American art-pop singer-songwriter Ezra Furman plays the Hollywood Theatre.
This week in concerts, Rex Orange County stops by Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Norwegian singer Aurora performs at The Gothic Theatre and Tears For Fears plays at the Denver Levitt Pavilion alongside Garbage as part of “The Tipping Point World Tour.” Meanwhile at Mission Ballroom catch Modest Mouse, Spoon or Bauhaus. Lastly, with the school year coming to an end, Dazzle takes time to showcase some of Denver’s young and talented musicians working hard at their craft tonight through Wednesday with their high school bands. For all your local music shows and news, stay up to date with 303 Magazine.
Written on a music retreat out in the desert east of Los Angeles, the record is a recognition that when it feels like things couldn’t get any worse, the Earth tends to keep spinning. Life continues, and the question becomes what to do with ourselves then. In Furman’s view, apocalyptic references are often used as a scapegoat, a way of putting all the responsibility of the world’s problems on humans, without engaging in the beauty of helping each other through the mess.
Most artists have a knack for storytelling, but few have the conviction and voices to match like Ezra Furman and Grace Cummings. Both women have strong, expressive vocals; they root their songs on guitar, only to let them roam free with wonder and curiosity. And, they’ve both mapped out a 2022 tour, with Cummings supporting Furman across North America on several dates this summer.
In this week’s west coast concert picks, another festival, Just Like Heaven, with Interpol, Franz Ferdinand, The Hives, Islands, M.I.A., Modest Mouse, The Shins and many others. Daryl Hall, Todd Rundgren are at The Wiltern, Fontaines D.C. have 2 nights at The Regent Theater, Sigur Ros are at the Shrine Auditorium, Animal Collective at the Greek Theatre, Bastille at YouTube Theater, LP at the Greek Theatre.
‘The world of music runs deep with most artists and their work is a body of life. We see it again and again and many artists live within the paths they’ve created, With Ezra Furman that’s easily the case. With a new album coming in August, what All of Us Flames will be is anyone’s guess. Though based on the lead single “Forever In Sunset” the future is bright as is the music.’
“This is a first person plural album,” Furman says. “It’s a queer album for the stage of life when you start to understand that you are not a lone wolf, but depend on finding your family, your people, how you work as part of a larger whole. I wanted to make songs for use by threatened communities, and particularly the ones I belong to: trans people and Jews.”
‘Ezra Furman has confirmed details of her new record, All Of Us Flames, and shared a new single. Furman’s latest album is due August 26 via ANTI- (Bella Union will release the album outside of North America). It is the third instalment in a trilogy of Furman albums that began with 2018’s Transangelic Exodus and 2019 release Twelve Nudes.’
‘Ezra Furman has announced her new album All of Us Flames with a Noel Paul–directed video for her new song “Forever in Sunset.” The LP is due out August 26 via Anti–. Furman also announced a string of new tour dates.’
‘The album includes previously released song “Book of Our Names” and the new single is the synth-rock anthem “Forever in Sunset.”
“‘Forever in Sunset’ is a spot-on introduction to ‘All of Us Flames.’ Combining Furman’s love of Springsteen-like bravado and punky grit, the song is inspired by that persistent sense of apprehension that can loom after you’ve spent years feeling unsafe: ‘Do you remember when we thought the world was ending?/ Seems funny now,’ Furman sings.”
‘Produced by John Congleton, ‘All Of Us Flames’ is scheduled to arrive on August 26 via Bella Union, following up 2019’s ‘Twelve Nudes’ LP, and an EP written for the most recent series of Netflix’s Sex Education.
It’ll include the previous singles Book Of Our Names and Point Me Toward The Real, along with the newly shared synth-laden cut Forever In Sunset, which comes paired with Noel Paul-directed video.’
She says of the album, “This is a first person plural album. It’s a queer album for the stage of life when you start to understand that you are not a lone wolf, but depend on finding your family, your people, how you work as part of a larger whole. I wanted to make songs for use by threatened communities, and particularly the ones I belong to: trans people and Jews.”
‘Ezra Furman has announced her new album, ‘All Of Us Flames’. Set for release on 26th August via Bella Union, the news comes alongside a new track taken from it, ‘Forever In Sunset’.’
‘The righteous songwriter, broadcaster, and all-round heroine returns, with a brand new album set to land this summer.
Out on August 26th, ‘All Of Us Flames’ bears witness to the fiery demise of the patriarchal capitalist empire that seems to smother our every moment.’
Ezra Furman is a prime example, a singer/songwriter from Chicago who’s released some of the most daring music in the indie rock world. She’s also sold out multiple world tours, DJ’s for the BBC and created the soundtrack for Netflix’s hit show, Sex Education.
“If Omnium Gatherum is a crazy quilt by design, it’s ultimately threaded together by some of the Gizzard’s most sumptuous songcraft to date—not to mention the band’s ever-colorful ways of telling us that the Earth is fucked.”
‘The songs blasted by in a blur, but Hanna reminded us that “Suck My Left One” is about her 13 year old sister getting harassed by older men. A Bikini Kill show is a lively, fun punk rock gig, but the messages are as important as ever. There’s still work to do. Smash the patriarchy.’
‘There wasn’t much funny business, but there was plenty of joy as the original line-up of vocalist Kathleen Hanna, drummer Tobi Vail and bassist Kathi Wilcox on bass — joined by guitarist Erica Dawn Lyle — entertained a cross-generational crowd. The show, one of more than 50 on their tour, was the band’s first L.A. appearance since their four-night residency at the Hollywood Palladium in 2019, which marked their return to live performances after more than two decades away.’
Ezra Furman and the Harpoons was an excellent band in the more indie folk vein but Furman herself had more to say in music than that loose format. And since writing and releasing music under her own name as a solo artist she’s seemed to have slowly shed obvious stylistic influences like Bob Dylan and Lou Reed among others across several albums since the literary, haunted Americana of 2012’s The Year of No Returning.
Queer Music Monthly is a collection of fresh tunes from beloved queer musical icons and innovative new artists that have been hand-picked by Them’s editors and contributors. What makes queer music special is that it’s so diverse and genre-defying. The collection of artists on our April playlist is wide-ranging and kaleidoscopic, stretching from Tyler Holmes’ Arthur Russel-inspired experimental-pop ballad “To Accept” to Ezra Furman’s queer liberation protest song, “Book Of Our Names.”
‘When Bikini Kill in 2019 played its first full shows in more than two decades, the response was overwhelmingly positive.
“If anything, people were singing a little too loud, so I couldn’t hear myself,” Hanna says, laughing. “Which is not a bad problem to have.”’
‘Indeed, the band is achieving any number of new milestones in the weeks ahead, from selling out two Red Rocks shows eight months in advance (a third was just added), to playing their largest New York-area concert to date in October at the 13,000-capacity Forest Hills Tennis Stadium and reaching the top tiers of international festival lineups with zero radio airplay or traditional promo.’
‘Segall predominantly self-recorded the album at his home in California. “Hello, Hi” is quintessential Segall: fuzzed-out psych-rock…Over the years, Segall has cemented himself as a prolific rocker.’
