A trip through time

The Netflix show “Sex Education” is a pretty big hit and something that might contribute to its popularity is its soundtrack. The decision to get Ezra Furman to do the soundtrack was the best choice for the show. Furman’s Sex Education OST is a whopping 19 tracks long, but that is not surprising for an album that covers an entire show.

Even without seeing the show, the album makes you want to watch it, finding out which song is home in which scene. Ezra Furman, who according to his official Twitter goes by the pronouns he/she/him/her, released his last album in August 2019. He shows us that he has a lot of material and proves his musical and lyrical genius once again.

Writing a soundtrack for a show seems pretty hard. Still, Furman manages to wonderfully capture any emotion that someone goes through. Especially teenage angst, something Furman says in an interview with Rolling Stone Magazine, he has a lot of experience with.

The soundtrack also features some older, previously recorded songs by Furman and some graceful cover songs of “Good Book” by Melanie and “Devil or Angel” by The Clovers. Furman’s joy and enthusiasm are noticeable in every track; the happy ones “My Zero,” as well as the more emotional ones like “Early Rain” or “Every Feeling.”

Furman uses many styles in just one album, “Restless Year” has more of a punk feeling, as well as the acoustic cover of LCD Soundsystem’s “I Can Change.” Songs like “Amateur” take the audience back in time to the Velvet Underground, Furman’s voice even sounds a little like a young Lou Reed. A highlight on the album is definitely “Love You So Bad.” The string instrument intro gives the song the right kick-off. Ezra’s vocals are so impactful, and she really gives her all. The emotions are contentious and very electrifying.

“Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde” is a colorful and passionate track, the listener can find something new about it every time they listen to it. “Body Was Made” is another of the stand-out songs on the soundtrack. The sound has a rock n roll vibe with a saxophone solo. The lyrics are all about being comfortable in your own body. “Body was made, so just fucking relax/ don’t pile my plate with historical facts/ I want to go forward, don’t want to go back/ dnd my body was made, oh, oh, oh, oh.”

With the track “At the Bottom of the Ocean”, it almost feels like The Beatles are back. The song seems not from this century, but that’s what makes the song, and in fact, Ezra Furman’s style, so unique and loveable. The track invites the audience to turn up the stereo and jump through the house while playing air guitar, or at the very least, tap your feet to the beat while sitting on the couch. “Splash of Light” and “The Queen of Hearts,” while a lot quieter, also give hints of Bob Dylan combined with a saxophone.

Ezra Furman’s Sex Education OST is almost like a time machine. It takes you back to the times of Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel and The Beatles. Ezra captures so many little details with his songs, they are magical even after the 100th time you listen to the album. In every song, it is clear how much Ezra loves doing music, putting his heart and soul into it. Even without knowing the show, the soundtrack to Sex Education is a must for every indie fan.