Upstate’s “Everything Changes” Is Unexpectedly in Tune With the Times (premiere)

“Everything Changes” is the new single from Upstate, the Hudson Valley collective known for their three-part harmonies and electric live shows. Jazzlike folk and a superior sense of restraint buoy the track, which speaks volumes about how and why Upstate stand to become a deeply loved band outside of their particular corner of the world.

The collective couldn’t have known that the new single would resonate with current events when it was written, as the band’s Melanie Glenn notes. “When we wrote this song, we expected to release it under very different circumstances”, she says. “Still, it certainly fit for the times. It was born from a feeling that can’t be prepared for, no matter how often it reappears in our lives. Here, it’s the relocation of a childhood friend, but it can just as well be the end of a job, start of a family, or the emergence of a global pandemic. It’s the emotion of life happening slowly, and then all at once. Regardless of what we think will happen, we’re reminded that everything changes faster than you thought it would.”