Indie rock group Witch Post, recognized as an Atwood Artist to Watch, conjures an unsettling yet captivating atmosphere with "Changeling." This intense track discovers strength not in resolution but in embracing transformation and the unique paths it takes us – an exhilarating indication of what’s unfolding for Alaska Reid and Dylan Fraser's fresh endeavor.
People and their feelings are as boundless and imaginative as true magic. This notion intrigues and frightens me.
– Alaska Reid
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"Changeling" immediately evokes an unsettling allure. The song does not simply present itself; it materializes, infused with energy, like a fever dream from which one hesitates to awaken. As one of the latest creations from the emerging indie rock band Witch Post, the track works on dual planes: serving as an exhilarating introduction to Alaska Reid and Dylan Fraser’s new venture, while also signaling that something more substantial is forming. If this is the type of enchantment they are casting now, anticipation for their next album is heightened.
Once knew a changeling
Julie was her name
Foxglove and roses
Painted tears on her face
I recognized her restlessness
I sensed her strangeness
Then she attempted to consume me
And we were altered forever
Atwood Magazine has been a long-time admirer of Alaska Reid's artistry—from her mid-2010s indie rock band Alyeska to her subsequent solo work—and Witch Post feels like a genuinely electrifying new chapter in her artistic narrative. Already a two-time Atwood Editor’s Pick, the band amplifies what made those previous projects engaging; it sharpens that quality further. Their sound is expansive and dynamic, saturated with grinding guitars and emotional depth, yet there's an unexpected elegance beneath the chaos—a sense of folklore merging with contemporary existence, of ancient elements intersecting with the now.
Dylan Fraser contributes a complementary weight to Witch Post—formed through years of songwriting, touring, and emotional exploration within the UK indie rock sphere. As a Scottish artist and a significant creative force in his own right, Fraser's work consistently leans towards tension, texture, and restraint, prioritizing atmosphere over extravagance and emotion over embellishment. In Witch Post, that instinct is harnessed: His grounding presence, melodic insight, and awareness of space lend the band its taut edge, harmonizing Reid’s mythic storytelling with something raw and rugged. The outcome is a collaboration characterized not by hierarchy but by friction—a dynamic interplay that renders Witch Post intentional, volatile, and vibrantly alive.
Since their debut—as evidenced by their first EP, "Beast," released in mid-August—Witch Post has arrived brimming with grit and vulnerability, tension and passion. "We’re striving to create something distinct from our solo projects with Witch Post," Reid shares with Atwood Magazine. "We’re pursuing the otherworldly and slightly fantastical." This pursuit is evident throughout "Changeling," evident in its chant-like vocal harmonies and uneasy tension—a quality Fraser regards as the band's defining strength. "Solo work is enjoyable and limitless, but there's a different kind of refinement involved in being in a band," he notes. "You take one another’s ideas and enhance them into something that suits us both. I believe the best outcomes come from that type of collaboration."
Once knew a changeling
But she never cared
When dogs would bite her
She’d be combing her hair
I recognized her restlessness
I sensed her strangeness
Then she attempted to consume me
We were altered forever
The band's name itself embodies a sense of history and mythology. Inspired by 17th-century English carvings intended to ward off witches, Witch Post embraces the symbolism rather than shying away from it. "Witches are fascinating as they represent time travelers," Reid explains. "In many ways, the history of witch hunts, particularly in America, was barbaric and medieval, but the women accused often did not conform to societal norms in ways that seem modern today. Being a songwriter and musician shares that duality of being both timeless and contemporary… We enjoy drawing from various time periods and uncovering the magic that connects them all." This notion of blurred timelines—where pubs, lore, buses, foxglove, and roses exist simultaneously—is central to "Changeling."
The song draws inspiration from literature as much as lived experiences. Reid links its inception to Christina Rossetti’s "Goblin Market," reflecting the idea of a veil separating worlds. "Dylan and I aimed to sing in unison, almost like a chant," she reveals. "I believe it enhances the strangeness of the song since that’s not something people usually do without at least a harmonization." That strangeness is intentional. As both charged and soothingly stirring, the track embodies contrast—modern and eternal, intimate and mythical. This juxtaposition is vividly expressed in lines like "Foxglove and roses painted tears on her face" against "
Indie rock group (and Atwood Artist to Watch) Witch Post conjures an eerie yet captivating aura with “Changeling,” a passionate track that draws strength not from clarity or resolution, but from embracing change and the peculiar paths it unveils – an exhilarating indication of what is already developing for Alaska Reid and Dylan Fraser's new venture.