Cameron Wittig
Gordi’s vision on her debut album, "Reservoir," is grandiose.
When Gordi opens for S. Carey — Bon Iver’s drummer and Justin Vernon’s backup vocalist — at the High Noon on March 20, she will be reconnecting with a musical family.
The worldly Aussie electronic artist, whose birth name is Sophie Payten, recorded much of her debut album Reservoir in Sydney, Reykjavik, New York City and Los Angeles over the course of six years — while finishing a medical degree. She chose to finish up the album at Vernon’s famed April Base Studios in Eau Claire.
“Working with a producer or engineer outside of their home studio doesn’t always make for the best work,” Gordi says. “I went to where the people I wanted to work with worked. It was really good doing it that way, because every studio has a different vibe and has access to different instruments.”
Gordi spent 10 days in Eau Claire adding bits and pieces to Reservoir in 2017. She worked with drummer and sound engineer Zach Hanson, whom she met touring with The Tallest Man on Earth in Australia while Hanson was drumming for them. Hanson is from Chippewa Falls, and is a personal friend and collaborator of Vernon’s.
They made some major stylistic decisions, adding in instrument parts like drums and electric guitar. One day, Gordi realized she wanted male harmony vocals on the track “I’m Done.” She knew she wanted her Jagjaguwar labelmate and now touring-mate, S. Carey, who lives in Eau Claire. Hanson texted Carey and set up a time to record him, simple as that.
“It all just kind of came together in Wisconsin,” Gordi says. “I walked out after that 10 days with a finished record.”
Gordi’s vision on Reservoir is grandiose, but it makes sense that the project would be finished in the close-knit community of Eau Claire. The album itself is hauntingly intimate, deploying lush vocals over a blend of synthetic and traditional instruments. It offers a narrative of heartbreak, one that seems personal but is scant on biographical detail. Instead, Gordi offers poignant, emotional hues.
Payten says she is aware of all the bloated and incohesive records being released today; she really wanted to nail a project that hangs together as a whole.
“I feel like, up to this point, I’ve mostly been releasing singles,” Payten says. “This album was the first time I had a luxury of putting together a body of work, so I really wanted to value the album as a traditional form. Streaming numbers diminishes what an album is supposed to be.”
