Ezra Furman “Sex Education OST”

We have to be honest, we only know of the Netflix show ‘Sex Education’ due to having two teenage daughters! It’s a show which has a very American High School feel to it (a la Glee) but is far grittier and more controversial and set in Britain.  We are, however, well aware of the considerable talent of Ezra Furman. A brilliant artist whose previous albums we have reviewed and loved.

We weren’t sure whether to review this album in the context of it being a soundtrack for a TV show or just a collection of songs (some old/some new). In reality though, it doesn’t really matter. Essentially you just have a collection of brilliant songs that fans of Ezra will love but will also, hopefully, introduce a whole new fan base to his genius.

Opening song “I’m Coming Clean” feels almost like a full episode itself. As demonstrated by “Amateur” and “The Queen Of Hearts”, many of Ezra’s songs have a storytelling style that make it obvious why he was chosen to provide the musical backdrop to the series.

The songs basically cover the whole spectrum of the styles present on Ezra’s previous work. Indeed, you get tracks like “Love You So Bad”, “I Can Change” and “At The Bottom Of The Ocean” which are shiny pop songs that will just get you singing along in glee. Although, take care, as the words are inevitably far deeper and more sinister than the joyous melodies may suggest. We’re sure that these tracks will soundtrack the happy, carefree, times of the youthful and inevitably good looking cast.

In contrast you get tracks like “Every Feeling” and “Care” which are poignant, heartfelt and borderline ballads. We imagine these will be used to emote even more tears as the dramas of teenage life unfold.

If all that’s not enough, you also get some of the best tracks from previous albums including the glorious “Restless Years” and “My Zero”. A particular long-time favourite of ours is the sax funk groove of “Body Was Made”.

Initially we thought selecting Ezra Furman to soundtrack this huge TV show was a strange choice. Ezra’s hardly a household name and has a style which we’d consider to be fantastic  but perhaps a bit too ‘unique’ for the mainstream. However, the reality is that it works brilliantly. Whether you’re a fan of the show, a fan of Ezra Furman, or indeed both, you will love this album (especially with a vinyl edition soon to be released!).