Australian songwriter Gordi continues to preview her delayed sophomore record Our Two Skins with the fervent single “Volcanic.” Written in a time where she was grappling with her identity amid a Christian family and Australia’s same-sex marriage vote, “Volcanic” sonically represents an intense swell of emotions.
Reflecting the quietly intricate cadence of her formerly-released singles, “Volcanic” gently murmurs with urgency. An exhalation of synth tones hums under Gordi’s rich delivery. “I have these moments where I panic / When I shut down and go manic / So eruptive and destructive like within I am volcanic,” she sings.
In a statement, Gordi detailed the inspiration behind the single, saying it’s about the drama surrounding her experience with anxiety:
“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.”
About the record as a whole, Gordi said the idea of transparency woven through the album: “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.”
Watch Gordi’s “Volcano” video above.
Our Two Skins is out 6/26 via Jagjaguwar. Pre-order it here.
