By far the most synth-heavy song on Changes, “Gondii” is a brisk track with an odd groove (3/4 drums in a 4/4 song) about Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite that can infect warm-blooded animals, and sexually reproduces in cats. Studies have shown that Toxoplasma gondii actually affects the brains of mice, creating cysts which make them more curious and less anxious when infected, which in turn makes them more susceptible to attacks by predators. This manipulation is the focus of “Gondii.”
While the band plays with sequencers and synthesizers, the lyrics describe someone being “domesticated” after being infected — losing their free will to the parasite and living with a stream of serotonin to their brain. This leads them to the conclusion that rather than being the cat in the scenario, they’re actually the rat.

The song was performed by Stu (vocals/Wurlitzer/synthesizer/percussion), Cavs (drums), Joey (synthesizer), Cook (synthesizer) and Ambrose (percussion/vocals). It was released on October 28th, 2022 and was later the b-side on the limited edition 7” single of “Hate Dancin’”. All of the songs on Changes are built around motifs found in “Change.” “Gondii” takes its influence mainly from Joey’s verse but also takes the main melody of the song at 1:40.

“Gondii” made its live debut on 2024-05-20 at Columbiahalle in Berlin. It came out of the live debut of “Extinction” and went for much longer than the studio version, even incorporating elements of the previous debut into its jams. It appeared throughout 2024 with the longer track length, often transitioning into other synth-based songs like “The Silver Cord” and “Interior People.”