1. Gordi is a indie-pop s… Read Full Bio ↴There are multiple artists with this name:
1. Gordi is a indie-pop singer/songwriter based in Sydney, Australia.
2. GORDI - ex-Yugoslavian rock / Heavy Metal band
Raised in the small, farming community of Canowindra in Australia’s New South Wales, amongst a minuscule population of 2381, Payten learned to play piano and guitar in her house — with Billy Joel on near-constant rotation. She left the rural life in her late-teens to pursue a medical education in Sydney alongside her musical career. The dichotomy of those environments — the pastoral and the modern — is surely a guiding influence in Gordi’s music. Earthy, wistful folk songs are cloaked in delicate-but- bold electronic production. And what an effortlessly flooring voice to carry it all, at once fractured and brimming with richness. These are songs you could hear bouncing through the alleyways of the city as much as you could hear them rolling across the fields. Fans in Payten’s native Australia have already been treated to a number of these magical musical moments courtesy of consistent rotation on triple j and FBi Radio, including nominations for a triple J J Award and 2 FBi SMAC Awards in 2015, on top of being named triple j Unearthed’s most played artist during 2015.
The single, "Can We Work It Out" has the big, worldly drums of those aforementioned Peter Gabriel classics and a towering, multi-layered vocal chorus that will instantaneously sear itself into your musical memory. The soft gallop and airy melody of EP opener “Nothing’s As It Seems” feels like the bittersweet sunset of a four-day weekend on the water. “So Here We Are”, a heartbreaking lo-fi piano and vocoder-led ballad. While the instrumentally lush “Wanting” submerges you in a joyous sonic landscape, a bold aesthetic for a tale of longing and reconciliation.
Moments in the EP may recall the early albums of Beth Orton, but more storming and redesigned for the stadiums, festivals and amphitheatres of the 21st Century. Staking that claim, Gordi is already sharing stages with contemporaries like Of Monsters And Men, Highasakite, Little May, Dustin Tebbutt and more. Clever Disguise was created with Melbourne producer Ben McCarthy with additional production by Alex Somers (Sigur Ros) and Francois Tetaz (Gotye). And if it’s merely an aperitif for what Gordi has coming up, we’re in for a magnificent show.
“An absolute work of splendour that will almost certainly make her a star"
- Stereogum (Artist to Watch; top songs of 2015)
“A song to score a daydream”
- Pigeons & Planes
“Breezy, wintry melancholy at its finest”
- The Guardian
“Our standards for indie-folk music this year have been set very high by artists like Vance Joy and Xavier Dunn, but here, we find that Gordi is still capable of surpassing our expectations with her lovely first offering, Nothing’s As It Seems”
- Hilly Dilly (Top 25 Australian songs 2014)
“What’s not to like about this”
- Stuart Murdoch, Belle & Sebastian
“Brand new label mate that is REALLY crushing music – G-O-R-D-I”
- Justin Vernon (Bon Iver)
"Gordi's most lushly atmospheric and spaciously produced work to date"
- The Line of Best Fit
"As abrasive as it is gorgeous"
- All Song Considered, NPR Music
"The smooth, low timbre of her voice feels like that still time of the morning before anyone else is awake, watching blooms of ice to melt into the window"
- Yen Magazine
“What a beauty! Smart production, sublime songwriting”
- Dom Alessio, triple j
“It is without a doubt that Gordi is charismatic individual, easily able to hold a crowd in the palm of her hand”
- Semplesize
“A musical mystic pulled from the pages of some pastoral romance.”
- Music Feeds
Volcanic
Gordi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is it that it′s only you that runs as deep?
Trying to find something to climb that doesn't feel so steep
Am I burning us out to keep your interests piqued?
Go down with me
I have these moments where I panic
When I shut down and go manic
I′ve a head that won't stop aching
And a voice that's tired of breaking
And I′d snap myself right out
And tell you what it′s all about if I knew
I'm pushing you to give up
And I′m lying about leaking here
I don't want to sound ungrateful but
I just don′t feel like speaking, dear
And it's all words and bookmarked lines
Leaving us all undermined and wrung out
I have these moments where I panic
When I shut down and go manic
So eruptive and destructive like within I am volcanic
I′ve a head that won't stop aching
And a voice that's tired of breaking
And I′d snap myself right out
And tell you what it′s all about if I knew
Am I starving you out?
Am I starving you out?
Am I starving you out?
Am I starving you out?
Am I starving you out?
Am I starving you out?
The lyrics of Gordi's song "Volcanic" explore themes of vulnerability, anxiety, and self-doubt within a relationship. The song delves into the idea of feeling overwhelmed and questioning one's own actions and their impact on the other person involved.
The opening lines, "Was it in a vacuum? Is it that it's only you that runs as deep?" suggest a sense of isolation and disparity between the two individuals, with one person feeling like they are the only one fully invested in the relationship. They express a desire to find something that is not as challenging to overcome and maintain, highlighting the difficulty they face in trying to keep the other person interested. The line "Am I burning us out to keep your interests piqued?" reflects the internal conflict of the singer, wondering if their efforts to maintain the relationship are inadvertently causing its downfall.
The chorus brings forth the emotional turmoil experienced by the singer. They describe moments of panic and mania, feeling eruptive and destructive within themselves, like a volcano. This can be interpreted as an allusion to their mental state, where they feel overwhelmed and unable to control their emotions. The mention of a "head that won't stop aching" and a "voice that's tired of breaking" further emphasizes the emotional and physical toll this internal struggle is taking on them. Through these lines, they acknowledge their own inward journey of self-discovery and self-expression, showing a desire to share and communicate their feelings if only they knew how.
In the second verse, the singer admits to pushing the other person away, lying about being emotionally drained, and struggling to find the words to express themselves. They express gratitude but explain that they simply don't feel capable of speaking at the moment. The reference to "all words and bookmarked lines" suggests that despite the superficial appearance of having a deep connection, they feel undermined and emotionally drained.
Overall, "Volcanic" captures the conflicting emotions of self-doubt, anxiety, and the desire for connection within a relationship. It showcases the internal struggle of the singer, who is grappling with their own emotional turbulence and questioning their impact on the relationship's dynamics.
Line by Line Meaning
Was it in a vacuum?
Did this happen in isolation?
Is it that it's only you that runs as deep?
Is your emotional depth solely your own?
Trying to find something to climb that doesn't feel so steep
Looking for a less challenging path to take
Am I burning us out to keep your interests piqued?
Am I sacrificing our well-being to keep you engaged?
Go down with me
Face the consequences together
I have these moments where I panic
I experience episodes of intense anxiety
When I shut down and go manic
When I become overwhelmed and lose control
So eruptive and destructive like within I am volcanic
So explosive and damaging, like a volcano within me
I've a head that won't stop aching
I have a constant headache
And a voice that's tired of breaking
And a voice that's exhausted from breaking down
And I'd snap myself right out
And I would quickly regain control
And tell you what it's all about if I knew
And explain everything if I had the answers
I'm pushing you to give up
I'm pressuring you to quit
And I'm lying about leaking here
And I'm dishonest about my emotional leakage
I don't want to sound ungrateful but
I don't want to appear unappreciative, but
I just don't feel like speaking, dear
I simply don't feel like communicating, my love
And it's all words and bookmarked lines
And it's all just empty words and rehearsed lines
Leaving us all undermined and wrung out
Leaving us feeling undermined and exhausted
Am I starving you out?
Am I depriving you of nourishment?
Am I starving you out?
Am I depriving you of nourishment?
Am I starving you out?
Am I depriving you of nourishment?
Am I starving you out?
Am I depriving you of nourishment?
Am I starving you out?
Am I depriving you of nourishment?
Am I starving you out?
Am I depriving you of nourishment?
Writer(s): Sophie Louise Payten
Contributed by Natalie I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jacob Foreman
Our Two Skins is one of the most slept on albums of 2020. It's almost criminal how little attention this masterpiece has gotten outside of Australian music circles since it came out.
Rachel
The of the song and video represents how I feel when I depersonalize (or whatever you want to call it...when I feel like I am detached from reality for some minutes and everything is moving rhythmically and too quickly around me). It is amazing how accurately it portrays it. This whole song is one of the few times I feel like I song represents something I experience. It made me tear up, which almost never happens. I am shocked that Gordi is not as well-known. Her songs and videos are so thoroughly and thoughtfully created.
daniel calabrese
She isn't that well known because she is a true artist and not pop star, which makes her much more interesting and special
Hayley Waters
i feel similar to you. the song for me feels what being in a relationship is like whilst living with bipolar disorder. the music has highs and lows and even lyrically it’s so accurate
Shivangi Agnihotri
I heard about you from the ABC radio at night and I'm so happy I got to pick up your name before I fell asleep. You tried to make this song resemble feelings of anxiety and you did absolutely amazing. You're so inspiring.
EDMsounds
I find myself in almost every song you've made. You're amazing, Gordi. I've been following you since "Nothing's at it seems"... 2015 I guess. Thanks for giving us your inspiration. ♥
James P
Wonderful song
Samlmao
How am I already feeling nostalgia and I’ve never heard this song before... damn
Gordi Bair
Proud to share your name! Magic! Never met another girl called Gordi 😍 Beautiful music ❤️
Aliens Will Come
This video makes me think of how time passes in the pandemic... we keep doing the same things and time jumps from moment to moment.