Gordi - Like Plasticine (Deluxe) (2026) [Hi-Res]

An Australian singers/songwriter whose mercurial pop ranges from somber to radiant, Gordi rose to success in the latter half of the 2010s. Her first two albums, 2017's Reservoir and 2020's Our Two Skins, made the upper reaches of the national pop charts, establishing her as a rising star with an emotionally complex style. Heading into the next decade, she relied on a series of EPs and singles to keep up her momentum ahead of her dynamic third album, Like Plasticine, released in 2025.

A native of the small rural town of Canowindra, Sophie Payten eventually relocated to Sydney for school while also immersing herself in writing and recording. She began penning her debut EP while still living in her college dorm room. With an electro-organic pop sound recalling Bon Iver and Beth Orton, her music career quickly began to show some promise. Adopting the stage alias Gordi, she released singles like the sweeping "Can We Work It Out" and a unique reframing of Courtney Barnett's "Avant Gardener," leading to a record deal with American indie label Jagjaguwar in late 2015. Her debut EP, Clever Disguise, was released in the U.S. in May of 2016. Following an a cappella cover of Bon Iver's "00000 Million" later that year, Gordi delivered her debut album, Reservoir, in mid-2017. It involved collaborations with producers including Alex Somers (Jónsi & Alex), Tim Anderson (Ima Robot), and Ali Chant (Gravenhurst). Tours including a European one with Ásgeir followed.

Recorded at her family's farm in Canowindra, Gordi's second long-player, June 2020's Our Two Skins, was co-produced by the singer, Chris Messina (Bon Iver, S. Carey), and Zach Hanson (S. Carey, the Staves). A special album release show was streamed live from the Sydney Opera House. At the time of its release, Payten was in her final year of medical school and working on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, an event which would have a significant impact on her next album. Over the next few years, she maintained dual careers as Payten, the medical doctor, and Gordi the recording artist. She released a scattering of singles and the EPs Inhuman (2022) and Lunch at Dune (2024), the latter a collaboration with Irish artist SOAK, all while building up to her next full-length. Released in 2025, many of the songs on Like Plasticine grew out of her experiences working at a major hospital during the pandemic. Her reflections on life, death, transformation, and change were played out in cerebral pop songs that ranged from fragile to cinematic. © Timothy Monger