Lyrical, Emotional, Story-Driven

Neil Friedlander’s “Totem” opens The Change with a sense of quiet revelation, as though the listener is entering the dim glow of his Brooklyn studio during those long, suspended Covid months. The song’s origins in isolation feel deeply imprinted in its DNA: there’s a softness to the vocal delivery, a contemplative patience in the pacing, and a subtle humor in the lyrics that hints at an internal conversation unfolding in real time. Friedlander writes as someone searching, not for answers, but for the courage to sit with the questions.

Working with producer Chris Camilleri, he shapes an atmosphere that is both weightless and grounded. The airy brightness of the track, drawn from 90s and early-2000s pop-rock sensibilities, contrasts beautifully with the uncertainty that inspired it. This juxtaposition—hope against doubt, levity against heaviness—gives “Totem” an emotional elasticity. It’s easy to feel the pull of introspection even as the melody lifts you upward.

The music video deepens the piece further, extending the song’s internal journey into a lush mythic landscape. Shot on New Jersey cliffs and populated by ethereal Muses, the visual world Friedlander creates feels like a portal out of the city and into an uncharted realm of imagination. His choice to direct and edit the video himself renders it deeply personal: a dreamscape shaped by the same hands that shaped the song. “Totem” becomes not just an opening track, but the doorway into the universe of The Change.

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