In an era where so many artists are opting for escapism, Ezra Furman fearlessly squares up to reality on Twelve Nudes, his self-described “punk record”. Having found success on the back of his gloriously unique and vulnerable art-pop, over the past few years Trump’s reign has darkened Furman’s sound, culminating in this: a hastily recorded call to action, informed by both personal and political struggles, delivered with a voice painfully raw from smoking, drinking and screaming. The result is liberating.

Twelve Nudes pays homage to the punk forefathers, without coming across as a posturing musical period piece. As always, Furman’s poetic sensibilities and melody-driven approach bring the songs firmly into his own space.

Opener ‘Calm Down aka I Should Not Be Alone’ immediately sets the tone, with an intense energy, fuelled by instinct and emotion above intellectual debate, counter-balanced by ‘60s-influenced “woo-woos”. A literal rallying cry to “participate in the fight now”, ‘Evening Prayer’ sees Furman at his most politically conscious, as he laments “wasting my 20s in submission” to a system ruled by the wealthy and powerful. ‘Trauma’ similarly points out the inequality across society – while simultaneously highlighting the power an organised proletariat can wield against an empire “when it’s built from the bottom and the bottom won’t build.”

Questions of identity also continue to drive Furman’s songwriting. On the unexpectedly tender ‘I Wanna Be Your Girlfriend’, he impersonates a lovelorn ‘50s soul crooner, and considers  “ditching Ezra and going by Esme.” Elsewhere, he expresses the continued struggles faced by those whose sexuality doesn’t fit to prescribed norms: “Bisexual blues got me begging to be recognised.”

The closing track is a fitting rhetorical question, pointing out the power of music as a force other than escapism: ‘What Can You Do But Rock ‘n’ Roll’. No question mark needed.

https://open.spotify.com/album/6tpbweii1aVd84d6nIx5Mf