If you’re the kind of person that adores an emotional, symbolic and mesmerising album, then you’re going to love this. Gordi has finally dropped her 11-track music baby, Reservoir, and we’ve been trapped in a dreamlike state ever since.
Known off stage as Sophie Payten, the 24 year old Sydney based singer/songwriter has given us something to smile about with an album reminiscent of a ‘mixed bag of lollies’. Reservoir encompasses a number of different sounds, genres and stories, introduced in such a way that the audience preternaturally becomes entangled in the magic that is Gordi’s angelic sound.
Being her biggest album yet, Gordi had us on edge for the arrival of this album after the release of a number of singles such as ‘Heaven I Know’, ‘On My Side’ and ‘Bitter End’. These sweet glimpses into the album were intriguing and set the sound for Reservoir, which was finally released on August 25.
It begins with the magic that is ‘Long Way’; a track that immediately grasps your attention. This musical masterpiece beautifully showcases Payten’s talent in music production as the layering of sounds perfectly portrays her vocal ability and encapsulates the listener one beat at a time. ‘All The Light We Cannot See’ follows and ramps it up a notch. After ‘Long Way’ took us through a gentle ride on the ocean, this second track brings us back to shore with an edge that she beautifully holds in a gentle beat.
‘On My Side’ was one of the sneak peak singles released earlier in the year but it never seems to fades. It is the kind of song that you could listen to after an emotional movie about a young couple in love. It gives the audience a sweet sense of happiness as more layers of her angelic vocals weave a rich tapestry amidst her clever construction of sounds.
Gordi continues to reinvent sound after sound by combining acoustic algorithms with gentle electronic sounds to perfectly compliment her vocals. ‘Bitter End’ and ‘I’m Done’ featuring S. Carey is a perfect example of this. Yet as we venture further into the album, we seem to fall deeper into the kind of artist that Gordi is. Cool, balanced and risk taking. We then stumble upon ‘Myriad’ where we see her play around with different vocal effects that is bound to remind you of Daft Punk and their iconic vocals.
Reservoir is brought to a close with ‘Something Like This’ which is almost like that final moment that you needed to come away from this album with. It is probably the most emotionally grasping song on the record as her initially fragile vocals raise literal goosebumps, to an uplifting finish that lures you into a pensive daydream.
Overall, we tend to see a lack of big, defining beats in Gordi’s record to really emphasise emotion and the level of storytelling in her music. However, we find this quite beautiful as you can’t help but connect with every word being sung. Reservoir is a musical masterpiece that can’t help but get you thinking: just when you think you have figured it out, Gordi’s sound sends you down another fictional path. With cleverly written and relatable lyrics layered amongst wonderfully emotional and touching sounds, Sophie Payten has exceeded all of our expectations with this truly inspiring, meaningful and beautifully crafted album.
To hear Gordi’s new album, Reservoir, scroll just a little further…
