“God is Change” is a rousing, soulful rock success from Emily Elbert, a California-based artist originally from Texas. Her songwriting captivates here with lyrical conveyances of “struggle and relief,” as bluesy guitars and sweltering organs linger alongside, into an invigorating “born again,” vocal call and ensuing “move my body,” multi-layered charisma. It marks a continued success for Elbert, who is also currently the guitarist for Leon Bridges. “God is Change” consistently stirs in its range of layered vocal power, debonair verses, and erupting guitar charisma.
The track’s themes present a reverent embrace of transformation through grief, loss, and renewal—anchored in the belief that “God is change.” Elbert explains in detail:
“‘God is Change’ started on a solo camping trip, alone in the Angeles National Forest. I was in a process of grief and transformation in my life, and working to surrender to the unfolding process. When I got home, walking the trails of the mountain near my house, I finished the second verse – ‘feed my form into the flame, knowing I’ll be born again.’ Little did I know how literal those flames would be – that that same forest, my home, and my entire town of Altadena, would burn to the ground months later.
The spirit of the song was inspired by a fellow former Altadena resident, the prophetic Black science fiction author Octavia Butler. She said, ‘All that you touch, you change. All that you change, changes you. The only lasting truth is change. God is change.’ Since the fires, this concept has carried me, as I witness myself, my community, and the world in the throes of vast changes and need for liberatory, connective transformation. This song is a calling-in of that action and energy.”
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This and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
