Portland-based multi-instrumentalist, musician, and author Lawton Browning founded Change Life in 2023 as a new creative vehicle shaped by the upheaval and reflection that followed the pandemic years. Conceived as a collaborative and fluid project, Change Life brings together a rotating cast of musicians and visual artists, forming a loose collective rather than a fixed band. At its core, the project explores ideas of reinvention, transformation, and collective creativity in uncertain times.

Drawing inspiration from Anarchist and Surrealist traditions of political resistance, imagination, and direct action, Change Life approaches music-making as both artistic expression and a form of cultural dialogue. The project blends elements of indie rock, experimental pop, and lo-fi aesthetics with a strong conceptual framework, often incorporating visual art, collage, and collaborative processes into its broader identity.

The group’s self-titled debut album, Change Life, captures this ethos. Recorded with a diverse group of collaborators, the record channels the urgency and uncertainty of the present moment while maintaining a sense of curiosity, experimentation, and creative freedom. The album moves between melodic indie rock, textural experimentation, and reflective songwriting, reflecting Browning’s long-standing interest in the intersection between music, ideas, and cultural critique.

Change Life will be released worldwide in June 2026 via Meritorio Records.

Prior to this project, Browning was best known as the driving force behind the Portland indie rock band Woolen Men, who were active between 2009 and 2020. Over the course of a decade, the band released six full-length albums along with numerous 7” singles, cassettes, and music videos, earning a dedicated international following. Woolen Men toured extensively across the United States and internationally, becoming known for their sharp songwriting, politically conscious lyrics, and energetic live performances.

With Change Life, Browning opens a new chapter — one rooted in collaboration, experimentation, and the search for new creative possibilities in a rapidly changing world.