Name Change, a seven member collective based out of Western Mass, just dropped the first single of their autumnal two-pack. Identity is a dreamy psych-pop bop featuring three affecting vocal performances. Multi instrumentalist Johnny Gerrard serves as the ring leader of the collective here writing, producing, and singing on the track, though it’s clear this is a team effort. Lauren Console opens the song up with haunting vocals, letting her tender voice linger long over every word not unlike Caroline Polacheck on Insomnia. She sings about how she is sick of feeling pressured to change herself so that others will feel better about themselves. Johnny said that the track was inspired by a conversation he had with BROCKHAMPTON’s Dom McLennon about this very topic. Dom encouraged Johnny to politely say “fuck you” to whomever may be trying to shape you in their image, and that the only person who should have a say in who you should be is you. The track is driven by a synth’d up bass line that is the funkiest thing this side of The Less I Know The Better. It sounds the funkiest as Audriana Cruz bounces the chorus on top of it, spelling out the song title and singing about finding yourself and feeling alright even without a surefire idea of where the path in front of you leads. It made me realize that every song that spells out it’s name in the chorus slaps and yet so few take advantage of this cheat code. Johnny closes out the track singing about how he felt betrayed by someone he had originally confided in whose motives were lying beneath the surface, with a performance that is similarly haunting to Lauren’s. Identity is a tender little ditty that will end up stuck in your head one way or another, as you may just find yourself spelling out i-d-e-n-t-i-t-y as you’re scanning mouthwash at the self check-out at CVS.
Name Change will be following this track up with a second similarly themed single, Get Free, sometime at the end of November. In the meantime check this track out on Youtube, Spotify, Apple Music, or Deezer (lol), and give the collective a follow on twitter dot com.
