“Change It!” shows up on Boxing Day, which feels kind of perfect, because it’s a song that sounds like it was written by someone who just spent an entire year watching the world fall apart and finally went, “Okay, yeah, no, I’m done being patient.” It’s the latest single from Tom Minor, and it’s doing double duty: closing out the run that started with Future Is an F Word last year while also kicking open the door for his upcoming album, Ten New Toe-Tappers for Shoplifting & Self-Mutilation, which is maybe the most aggressive title imaginable and yet, poetically honest in a Positive Songs for Negative People by Frank Turner way.
The track itself is basically a vintage-soul-soaked indie rock rant in the best possible way. It’s got that old-school rebel-yell energy, but filtered through someone who clearly spends way too much time thinking about the future and whether it even exists anymore. “Change It!” isn’t about a specific political cause or a neat, Instagram-ready form of activism. It’s about that raw, jittery feeling that you’re wasting your life while everything around you is quietly catching fire. The song sounds like it’s yelling at you and also trying to shake you awake at the same time, which is honestly kind of refreshing.
There’s something really satisfying about how unguarded it feels. The gloves are off, the emotional armor is gone, and Minor just leans into that slightly unhinged urgency. It’s a call-to-arms, sure, but not in a “let’s start a movement” way; more like “please, for the love of god, do literally anything before it’s too late.” The whole thing has this scrappy, sweaty, get-in-the-ring vibe that makes it feel less like a polished single and more like someone yelling their truth from a small stage in a crowded room.
Musically, it helps that “Change It!” absolutely rips. Johnny Dalston’s guitar gives the track a sharp, wiry edge, while producer Teaboy Palmer keeps everything moving forward at a pace that doesn’t let you breathe too much. It sounds old and new at the same time: soul and garage rock energy filtered through indie-rock anxiety.
Tom Minor himself is one of those artists who feels like he’s been circling this moment for years. Based in London N1, he pulls from everything from punk, power pop, new wave, psych to R&B, but it all gets mashed into what he calls “existential indie,” which is honestly a pretty good description. After spending years writing for other people, Minor finally went all-in on his own voice, and records like Eleven Easy Pieces on Anger & Disappointment made it clear he had a lot to say.
“Change It!” feels like that voice getting louder, bolder, and a little more desperate. And weirdly, that’s exactly why it works.
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About the Author
A tenured media critic known working as a ghost writer, freelance critic for various publications around the world, the former lead writer of review blogspace Atop The Treehouse and content creator for Manila Bulletin.
