Time Capsules

When Change released Closer Still, the world was still very different. As you can see Change went on tour in Europe in February 2020. They were a brand new band and were just about to release their first LP. I’m a little hazy on the exact release date because the LP was released on two different labels on two continents and two different points of time. Plus, the world shut down soon afterward because of the Covid pandemic, an event which has blurred my already blurry sense of time. If I remember correctly, the tour press was the first variant available and remained so for a couple of months and then the album was properly released by React! and Refuse Records. But feel free to correct me. 

I remember that I really wanted to go to one of the shows, probably the one in Leipzig, but for some reason I couldn’t make it. I didn’t think much of it because it wasn’t the first time I missed out on a show. Little did I know what would happen a few weeks later and how long it would be until I’d go see a band play live. 

Closer Still was exactly what I needed at the time. Melodic hardcore with a modern twist. I really liked the reggae influence too. The lyrics were great too and on top of that, the nod to Wishingwell Records and Uniform Choice was the cherry on top. This album is also the last current record that I actively collect because collecting records has changed so much these last few years. As much as I wanted to have every copy of let’s say the Anxious LP, the first Magnitude LP or any of the Fiddlehead albums, I just couldn’t justify the expense with the myriad of variants from an ever growing number of outlets. So, Closer Still is a marker of many changes for me. I managed to collect most of the variants quite quickly. I think I only miss the second press copies and I’m not sure I want to get those to be honest. The only variant that kept eluding me was the tour press from 2020 until a few weeks ago a copy popped up for sale on Discogs for a fair price.

I didn’t have time to pull out all variants and take a group picture, but I might edit this post at one point.

Tour Press on Green Vinyl on Refuse Records /113

Tour Poster + Back Cover of the LP

The seller also graciously sent me another record with the Change LP, a split 7” by two bands I’d never listened to before. Mine, which I knew only by name, were a hardcore band from Switzerland, while Dawnbreed hailed from the south of Germany. Both bands played sort of screamo hardcore typical for the mid- to late-90s. I like both sides of the split, but I’m not sure how often I will reach to this 7”. I also dig the dystopian artwork and how the cover is part of a big fold-out poster. Also, DIY style patches that come with records need to make a comeback!