The list of grievances that a protest song could address in 2017 has only diversified and grown as the months progressed: income inequality, sexism, racism, bigotry, xenophobia, LGBT-phobia, sexual violence, political violence, the curtailing of right to birth control, poverty, brutality from law enforcers, capitalist exploitation, environmental degradation, inadequate government response to natural disasters, global warming, the Trump administration, militarism, etc… When a musician attempts to do justice to one (or more) of these issues within a 3-minute song, the aim is often to channel deeply felt anger, indignation, grief and sorrow into a rarified catharsis. On the other hand, music can also serve as pure and much needed escapism, offering an uplifting respite from the grueling realities of the day (perhaps even by making superficial overtures towards wokeness/political engagement).
“Change The Paradigm”, a B-side from Canadian synth-pop trio Austra’s third LP Future Politics (January 2017), finds a balance between these two poles. Backed by pounding industrial beats and futuristic glitches, it echoes the album’s titular track and articulates an abstract desire for change from an unspecified status quo: ‘If you can imagine, it can be real/ My self destructing echoes is not the only way/ Don't think with your nation/ Don't think with your age/ Imagine something different/ Just change the paradigm’. There’s a disclaimer that this is easier said than done (the refrain ‘It’s so ingrained’), while the political and cultural forces in question remain undefined. In a statement to DIY, lead vocalist Katie Stelmanis acknowledged that the song's main antagonist is the danger of allowing pessimism and fatalism to become a self-fulfilling prophecy: “the most powerful tool we possess for creating a better world is our own imagination”.
With her signature operatic force, she harnesses the “weapon of potential” by inspiring faith in our ability to make a difference. It is ultimately up to the listener to figure out precisely how to achieve that elusive paradigm shift: ‘Don't accept your constraint/ Don't accept our fate/ Just look far beyond it/ And find another way’.
