Gordi ft Anaïs Mitchell – PVC Divide
Gordi – the much-loved, Australian indie-pop singer, songwriter and producer aka Sophie Payten – shares another new cut from her forthcoming album Like Plasticine (out August 8th) in “PVC Divide (feat. Anaïs Mitchell).”
Written, recorded, and produced by Gordi, and featuring the beautiful, ethereal vocals of Anaïs Mitchell, “PVC Divide” offers a sonic snapshot of Gordi’s experiences working in hospitals during the COVID pandemic. It was mixed by Kayla Reagan who has worked with Eartheater, 100Gecs, Role Model and more.
Gordi first met Anaïs Mitchell – the Vermont-based, Tony and Grammy award-winning creator of Broadway musical, Hadestown – a few years ago, while singing backing vocals together for Bon Iver on a Jimmy Fallon performance. Since, their friendship has blossomed, now manifesting in the emotional, devastating ballad that is “PVC Divide.” Fittingly, Gordi will be joining Anaïs in New York as support for her show at Racket in Manhattan next week.
The track comes as Gordi wraps up her spring tour of the UK, which saw her play to full rooms at Dot To Dot Festival in Bristol and Nottingham, a variety of buzzy sets at The Great Escape in Brighton and a sold-out London show at Soho’s The Lower Third. She has announced her return to Europe later this month, supporting Foster The People on their arena tour. Autumn dates in the UK and Europe will see her return for the Bryce Dessner curated Sounds From A Safe Harbour Festival and Residency in Cork Ireland, alongside Reeperbahn Festival in Germany and a run of headline dates in Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and UK.
Next week, she kicks off her east coast US dates. Alongside her show with Anais Mitchell, she will also play SummerStage in Central Park and headline shows in Boston, Philadelphia and Washington DC.
Debuting “PVC Divide” next week on stage with Anaïs has led Payten to reflect on the song’s origins. She says:
“I spent the pandemic working as a doctor. These tiny planes at empty airports would take us to remote towns, to restaff hospitals that had been hit by covid. From the airport to a serviced apartment to the emergency room and so on and so forth. Rinse and repeat. I observed the grief of others until eventually it felt like my own. The lyrics are made up of stories I read, conversations I had, and feelings I tried to contain. They finally spilled over the day I wrote this – I was in the middle of a room called Phoenix Central Park in Sydney and I started playing this guitar line and the words came quickly. I made a drum loop and let it echo around the space, then I started recording and sat down at the piano and just played. It was all captured that day. This song is hard for me to listen to sometimes, but it holds a special place.”
“PVC Divide” was specifically inspired by one of the patients Payten cared for whilst working on the frontline. While in rehab following the removal of a brain tumour, he had a new scan that revealed an aggressive return. “He’d been getting better, and the plan for him was to go home and move on with his life. And then it turned out he had five new tumours in his brain. That was the end for him. And I had to tell him that without his family there.”
Because of the pandemic, the usual process – “You go in and you’re the bearer of the most horrific news they’ve ever heard, but then you walk out, and you leave the next job to their loved ones.” – was impossible. They were on speakerphone and Payten was there, absorbing all the grief in the room. She’d developed a sweet bond with her patient, who received the news simply: “It was written for me.”
GORDI – GLOBAL TOUR DATES
US
Monday, June 9 – Racket, NYC, NY (w/ Anaïs Mitchell)
Tuesday, June 10 – The Lounge at World Café Live, Philadelphia PA
Thursday, June 12 – Warehouse XI, Somerville, MA
Saturday, June 14 – Summerstage Central Park, NYC NY
Sunday, June 15 – Songbyrd Music House, Washington DC
EUROPE (WITH FOSTER THE PEOPLE)
Thursday, June 26 – SaSaZu, Prague, Czech Republic
Friday, June 27 – Letnia Scena Progresji, Warsaw, POL
Tuesday, July 1 – Astra, Berlin, DE
Thursday, July 3 – Trianon, Paris, FR
Monday, July 7 – 013, Tilburg, NL
Tuesday, July 8 – Ronda, Utrecht, NL
Tuesday, July 15 – Pelicano, A Coruna, ESP
Thursday, July 17 – Razzmatazz 1, Barcelona, ESP
EUROPE
September 11-14 – Sounds From A Safe Harbour Festival, Cork IRE
Wednesday, September 17 – Jaki, Cologne DE
Thursday, September 18 – Lark, Berlin DE
Friday, September 19 – Reeperbahn Festival, Hamburg DE
Sunday, September 21 – TivoliVrendenburg (Club Nine), Utrecht NL
Wednesday, September 24 – Trix Bar, Antwerp BE
AU (WITH DAVID GRAY)
Tuesday, November 4 – Riverside Theatre, PCEC, Perth WA
Wednesday, November 5 – Riverside Theatre, PCEC, Perth WA
Friday, November 7 – Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide SA
Sunday, November 9 – Palais Theatre, Melbourne VIC SOLD OUT
Monday, November 10 – Palais Theatre, Melbourne VIC
Wednesday, November 12 – State Theatre, Sydney NSW SOLD OUT
Thursday, November 13 – State Theatre, Sydney NSW SOLD OUT
Saturday, November 15 – QPAC Concert Hall, Brisbane QLD SOLD OUT
Sunday, November 16 (Matinee) – QPAC Concert Hall, Brisbane QLD SOLD OUT
Sunday, November 16 (Evening) – QPAC Concert Hall, Brisbane QLD SOLD OUT
#gordimusic