Ezra Furman

I was in a true tailspin after college. I could barely hold down a part-time job and I was completely emotionally closed-off, socially. All I could do was to keep the band going and hope something good would happen with us. I ran out of money and couch-surfed for seven months. Somehow I wrote these songs, too. I went further into anxiety and depression and further into wonderstruck loner spirituality, both at the same time. Life was so intense. The record reflects that.

This is the best Harpoons album as far as I can tell. We just played together so much and we got better and better. Andrew Langer became our full-time guitarist. We recorded this in Los Angeles with Doug Boehm, who made sure it was good as it possibly could be. We demoed a whole lot of songs and tried to choose the best ones.

I think of this as the most successful distillation of what the Ezra Furman & the Harpoons had to say, and a gateway to my next stage as an artist. I broke up the band a little while after this came out for whatever reasons, whether neurotic or chaotic or forward-thinking or accidental. I’m sure it made sense at the time. But I’m really glad we got this record made. It’s the peak of our powers.

"It’s refreshing to hear a young songwriter with a singular vision going for the jugular every time. Wherever that mysterious power comes from, keeping asking the questions, and keep spinning, kid." Paste Mag

"While the music pushes and flashes with genius, Furman unravels more brilliant lyrics, exploring love, self, and community, offering as many heartbreaking moments as it does laugh-out-loud barbs. Mysterious Power does all this smart, impressive work without sacrificing any pop listen-ability, hopefully gaining the band the serious attention they deserve. Consequence of Sound