Ezra Furman - “Trans Mantra”

SXSW 2022 - OEB Score: 8; Popularity Index: 9

Pairs Well With…Courtney Barnett, Mac DeMarco, Brittany Howard

Ezra Furman’s musical curation of Netflix’s Sex Education continues to show off the Chicago artist’s range of power pop songwriting, dipping into Southern rock (“Going to Brighton”), minimal folk (“Frying Pan”), and alt rock (“Trans Mantra”) across season three’s five-track EP. Furman’s songwriting has moved into ‘can’t miss’ territory now fifteen years into her career. There’s studied purpose to Furman’s approach on these latest Sex Education tracks, exploring both her back catalog and new tracks with immediately catchy and personal appeal. (Kevin McStravick)

2020 Review: SXSW regular Ezra Furman has excitedly built some steam since last year following a Netflix TV Sex Education series that prominently features past Furman tracks both new and from her back catalog. A distant sort of folk rock, Ezra Furman embraces alt-country and Western motifs into her core, classic 60s pop/rock sound. It’s a charming result that sound both old and new concurrently, a mature evolution and an anchor for the artist to hold onto in case things ever hint at falling off these delicate rails.