Gordi releases heartfelt new single "Volcanic"

"Volcanic" arrives after previous tracks "Aeroplane Bathroom" and "Sandwiches", and is accompanied by news that her sophomore LP is being delayed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Sophie Payten, aka Gordi, says of her latest outing, "It speaks to a rush of anxiety - about why, about what is real and what is not, about the drama of it, about the vortex of it. When it surges you can feel paralysed and out of control at the same time - ‘shut down’ and ‘manic.’ Its self-destructive nature can be so crippling. I wanted the song to feel like a wave of anxiety. The tempo never changes but the piano solo starts at half-time and rushes until it is double the speed, though the beat never changes. And then suddenly; it’s over."

Our Two Skins saw Gordi recruit producers Chris Messina (Bon Iver, Bruce Hornsby, Big Red Machine) and Zach Hanson (Bon Iver, Hand Habits, Waxahatchee, Tallest Man), who travelled from Wisconsin to Canowindral, Australia to record the album with Gordi at a old cottage with no wi-fi or phone service.

Payten, says of the process, "The idea was about cutting ourselves off from all things, including choice, and forcing us to be a lot more minimalist in the way that we can create stuff. I find I'm much more creative when I'm surrounded by nothing than when I'm surrounded by lots."

She adds of the LP, "A big theme of the record is: there's nothing to hide behind. We didn't have all the bells and whistles. You’re just standing there, with your hands in your pockets going: this is me. This is it. This is all I have."

Our Two Skins has only been pushed back by a week due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Payten has applied to return to her medical job to help with the ongoing pandemic. She says, "Since I quit my job as a doctor earlier this year it feels strange to totally turn my back on the medical industry in this health crisis."