The Postal Service - Everything Will Change (2LP) - Loser Edition Lavender/Blue Translucent Vinyl

Everything Will Change bottle-feeds that 2013 reunion glow straight to your ears. The Postal Service hit the Greek Theatre in Berkeley across two nights in late July 2013 to celebrate a decade of Give Up, and you can hear the summer air and crowd chatter hanging in the mix. Sub Pop first put this out as a concert film in 2014, directed by Justin Mitchell, then later released it as a live album in 2020. It is the best kind of time capsule. Not a museum display, but a recording that breathes.

If you came to The Postal Service through bedroom speakers and CDRs, it is still wild to hear how alive these songs feel on a stage that size. Ben Gibbard handles vocals and guitar with the poise of someone who has sung these words to thousands, yet still sounds surprised by the size of the singalongs. Jimmy Tamborello sits behind the banks of samplers and sequencers that first gave these tracks their pulse, nudging the rhythms into punchier territory. Jenny Lewis, who contributed vocals to the original sessions, takes the duet lines and harmonies with easy charisma, and Laura Burhenn adds extra colour on keys and vocals. That blend matters. It turns laptop pop into something communal without losing the glimmer and glitch that made Give Up stick.

The setlist is the whole story. The District Sleeps Alone Tonight opens like a curtain rising, synths flickering while the crowd roars in recognition. Such Great Heights lands exactly as it should, a communal bounce where the Greek’s terraces become a chorus. Nothing Better is a highlight, the push and pull between Gibbard and Lewis more bittersweet with a decade of miles in their voices. This Place Is a Prison simmers rather than explodes, and that restraint suits the lyric. Brand New Colony closes with the crowd chanting everything will change, which of course explains the title and still gives a little shiver.

A neat touch of history sits in the way the reunion folded in the two songs added to the Give Up deluxe edition. A Tattered Line of String feels sturdier live, the extra weight in the kick pushing the chorus higher. Turn Around snaps into focus too, its melody less of a curio and more of a keeper here. There is no need for a rock band overhaul or a guest drummer crashing through. The beats hit, the synth arpeggios sparkle, and the guitars lift at the right moments. You can hear how much care went into making this feel like The Postal Service rather than a side project with a bigger PA.

It is also a reminder of context. Give Up quietly became one of Sub Pop’s biggest sellers of the 2000s, and these shows were a victory lap that never tips into self-congratulation. There is gratitude in Gibbard’s voice when the crowd takes over, and a kind of forensic joy in Tamborello’s tweaks as he warms up old patches for a huge outdoor mix. Mitchell’s film captured that clearly back in 2014. The 2020 live album keeps the focus on sound, which is what you want if you missed the tour or you were up on the hill past the beer queue.

For collectors, Everything Will Change works brilliantly on a turntable. The sequencing suits sides, and the ambience of the Greek Theatre gives just enough space around the electronics. If you are hunting The Postal Service vinyl, this sits nicely next to a clean copy of Give Up. And if you prefer to buy The Postal Service records online rather than crate dig, keep an eye on Sub Pop’s store and your favourite indie shops. Everything Will Change vinyl turns a reunion night into an at-home ritual, the kind you can drop into on a quiet Sunday or a late night with friends.

In Australia, the buzz around that reunion tour sparked a lot of renewed love for the band, and you still see hands shoot up whenever a Melbourne record store puts the needle into Such Great Heights during a Saturday rush. For those browsing vinyl records Australia wide, this live set is a safe recommendation. It is familiar, yes, but not rote. The performances have detail for long-time fans, and enough crunch in the low end to make newcomers pay attention.

The real test of any live album is whether it makes you wish you were there and, after that, whether you want to go back. Everything Will Change does both. It gives the songs a little sunburn, a little sweat, and a lot of heart. Among The Postal Service albums on vinyl, it might be the most human. That feels right for a band that made machines feel tender in the first place.