Beloved indie rock singer-songwriter frontman Ezra Furman has forged a connection to a fellow Ezra (Koenig) and released a cover of Vampire Weekend’s classic “Unbelievers.”

The cover comes ahead of hitting the road in support of his seventh album (including all full-lengths under the various group names he has performed under (Ezra Furman and the Harpoons, Ezra Furman & The Boyfriends)) Transangelic Exodus.

Beyond the first name connection, it seems that Furman had a deeper reason towards choosing “Unbelievers” to cover.

“With Ivy League cunning they realized there were more interesting and profitable directions to go with their music,” said Furman. “But the punk instincts still shine through in many of their songs. I heard ‘Unbelievers’ as a punk song almost immediately, adventurous production and orchestral touches notwithstanding. It takes one to know one. In the midst of our recent ambitious and inventive music, I started to get a strong urge to reconnect with my high-tempo voice shredding punk roots. Covering this song was a perfect gateway from one to the other. Plus, no matter how deep in love I am with Judaism, there is a never-ending supply of religious alienation and rage in me. Felt good to spill some more of that out.”

Furman has notably made various songs in which he addresses his Jewish faith, bisexuality, and androgyny, so there’s no wonder there’s a lot of punk energy stored up in his hoarse, abrasive singing that fits the underlying punk instincts of “Unbelievers.”

Check out the cover, the original, and further information about Furman’s upcoming tour below.

Ezra Furman Tour Dates
08/29: Newcastle, UK – Riverside
09/02: Larmer Tree Gardens, UK – End of The Road Festival
09/04: London, UK – O2 Academy Brixton
09/30: Long Beach, CA – Music Tastes Good Festival
10/03: Denver, CO – Lost Lake Lounge
10/04: Lawrence, KS – The Bottle Neck
10/06: St. Louis, MO – Fubar
10/25: Columbus, OH – Skullys
10/27: Toronto, ON – Horseshoe Tavern
10/29: Cambridge, MA – The Sinclair
10/30: Providence, RI – Fete Ballroom
10/31: Philadelphia, PA – Underground Arts
11/01: Washington, D.C. – U Street Music Hall
11/03: New York, NY – Warsaw
11/28: Minneapolis, MN – Cedar Cultural Centre
11/29: Madison, WI – High Noon Saloon
12/01: Chicago, IL – Subterranean (All Ages)
12/01: Chicago, IL – Subterranean
12/09: Vancouver, BC – Wise Hall
12/10: Seattle, WA – Crocodile Café
12/11: Portland, OR – The Aladdin Theatre
12/13: San Francisco, CA – Slims
12/15: Los Angeles, CA – The Teragram