Album Review: Gordi – Our Two Skins

Passionately hypnotic

Returning from her short divergent medical career amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Sophie Payten returns as Gordi to the music scene with yet another folktronica album set to release June 26th, Our Two Skins.

First appearing in 2016 with her single “Avant Gardener,” Payten has produced a plethora of material since peaking in 2017 with her full-length studio album Reservoir, and has appeared alongside Troye Sivan on his 2018 explicit track “Postcard.” More recently, with the arrival of the COVID-19 epidemic in 2019 and ruining touring plans, Payten returned to her past medical career to aid overflown Australian hospitals in desperate need of working hands.

Featuring six unheard tracks along with the four pre-released singles, Our Two Skins is prompt to deliver ten melancholic mind soothing and upbeat melodies. Of the singles already released, appearing first on the album is “Aeroplane Bathroom,” which features a slow and dreary pace for the overall aesthetic of the album with repetitive melancholic keys and miscellaneous background noises for effect. “Unready,” released at the beginning of June, is a highlight track with its hard-hitting guitar strums and percussions along with Payten’s vocals to collage an impactful melody.

Following up, “Volcanic” drifts in with dreary vocals and ambient synths for a solid three-minute track that finishes with a surreal piano breakdown and distorted vocals. Topping off the album, “Sandwiches” serves as a pounding conclusion with punk-like strums and percussions and heightened vocals that emanates a strong uplifting emotion through its melody.

Of the unreleased tracks, listeners will first hear the slow pianistic melody”Radiator.” This song is fit for a calm, quiet Saturday afternoon that alludes an emotion of sadness and heartbreak with every tapping of the keys and Payten’s harmonizing. Like a road trip in the countryside zooming past the menagerie of scenery comes “Extraordinary Life” that is craving to “give you an extraordinary life” with upbeat percussions and acoustics.

With hard-heavy strums and a touch of bass, “Hate the World” illustrates an empathetic emotion through lo-fi slow rhythms that are sleepy and chilling. Highlighting Payten’s relaxed passionate vocals with drawn-out pianos, “Look Like You” attempts to target people’s emotions and compel them to cry their sorrows if it can.

Striking with powerful vocals and percussions comes “Limits” that presents more upbeat rhythms and wailed guitar riffs to gift a compassionate theme. “Free Association” is marked as the sixth upcoming track that is a gradual trip of emotion from intro to outro the melody evolves from dreamy and sway-full to crashing with a heated finish.

Overall, Gordi fans can expect their anticipation to be rewarded with Our Two Skins. The six additional tracks alongside the other already released tracks (“Aeroplane,” “Unready,” “Volcanic” and “Sandwiches”) are passionately hypnotic.