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Apr 04, 2022 By Mark Redfern Photography by Buck Meek

Ezra Furman has shared a new song, “Book of Our Names,” via a lyric video. It’s her second single since signing to ANTI-. The song is also being released by the UK label Bella Union. Listen below, followed by Furman’s upcoming tour dates, which start next month.

Furman had this to say about the song in a press release: “This song is about what it feels like to live together under an empire that doesn’t value your lives. I sing it as a Jew and as a trans woman, knowing well the stakes and consequences of being part of a hated population. But it is a protest song intended for use by any movement for collective survival and freedom. I noticed that the book of the Bible called Exodus in English, the one where the Hebrews escape slavery in Egypt, is called the Book of Names in Hebrew. And I started to think that the act of saying names out loud, of seeing individuals in their full irreplaceable uniqueness, holds the seed of true liberation.”

“Book of Our Names” follows “Point Me Toward the Real,” a new song Furman shared in early March that was her first single for ANTI-. “Point Me Toward the Real” was about someone getting out of a psychiatric hospital and made it to #1 on our Songs of the Week list.

John Congleton (Angel Olsen, Future Islands, Sharon Van Etten) produced, engineered, and recorded the new song, as he did “Point Me Towards the Real.”

Furman’s last full-on album was 2019’s Twelve Nudes. In 2021, Furman surprise released a new EP that features songs she has written for season 3 of the Netflix show Sex Education. It was fittingly titled Sex Education - Songs from Season 3 and featured three new songs, alongside two songs previously released with her former band Ezra Furman & The Harpoons in 2011. Furman has done the music for all three seasons. In 2020, Furman shared the official soundtrack for seasons 1 and 2 of Sex Education, along with a video for the song “Every Feeling.”

Check out our 2020 interview with Furman in episode two of our official podcast’s first season.

Read our 2018 interview with Furman.

Ezra Furman Tour Dates:

Thu. May 19 - Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom *
Sat. May 21 - San Francisco, CA @ August Hall *
Mon. May 23 - Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile *
Tue. May 24 - Vancouver, BC @ Hollywood Theatre *
Wed. May 25 - Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom *
Thu. May 26 - Boise, ID @ Visual Arts Collective *
Sat. May 28 - Denver, CO @ Gothic Theatre *
Mon. May 30 - Des Moines, IA @ Gas Lamp *
Tue. May 31 - Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line *
Wed. Jun. 1 - Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall *
Thu. Jun. 9 - Somerville, MA @ Crystal Ballroom (Ezra Solo)
Thu. Jul. 21 - Valencia, ES @ Diversity Festival
Sun. Jul. 24 - Hertfordshire, UK @ Standon Calling Festival
Sun. Aug. 14 - Des Moines, IA @ Val Air Ballroom ^
Tues. Aug. 16 - Milwaukee, WI @ UWM Panther Arena ^
Wed. Aug. 17 - Indianapolis, IN @ TCU Amphitheater at White River State Park ^
Sun. Aug. 21 - Crickhowell, UK @ Green Man Festival
Tues. Aug 23 - Edinburgh, UK @ Edinburgh International Festival
Mon. Sep. 12 - Montreal, QC @ La Sala Rosa
Tue. Sep. 13 - Toronto, ON @ Rec Room
Wed. Sep. 14 - Detroit, MI @ The Loving Touch
Thu. Sep. 15 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr Small’s
Sun. Sep. 18 - Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
Mon. Sep. 19 - Providence, RI @ Fete Ballroom
Tue. Sep. 20 - Boston, MA @ The Sinclair
Wed. Sep. 21 - New York, NY @ Webster Hall
Thu. Sep. 22 - Dover, DE @ Firefly Festival

* w/ Grace Cummings
^ w/ Jack White

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