Gordi Releases Transcendental New Single 'Alien Cowboy'

Australian indie pop artist/producer Gordi unveils “Alien Cowboy,” an at once cathartic yet dramatic piece of pop music; a mural of a tortured fantasy. The swirling, sparsely arranged climactic track follows November’s release of Gordi’s Lunch At Dune EP – the title track of which featured a collaboration with Irish artist, SOAK.

With a chorus that opens “Won’t you blow up my universe, so that I can realize we’ve been here the whole time,” the wonderfully written and arranged song conveys a floating anti-gravitational energy equally as much as it acts as a magnetic force propelling towards danger and destruction. Production laced in dizzying experimentation while anchored by strong pop melodies, a credit to the collaborative combination of Sophie Payten (Gordi) and Costa Rican producer Matias Mora (Rebecca Black, Linkin Park, Katy Perry).

The duo came together in Los Angeles to write and produce the song, sharing an outlook which contemplated what a gay utopia might look like. The result is a transcendental almost supernatural piece of music with layers of sardonic lyrics filtering throughout: “Join the excommunicated, it’s your birthday celebrate it”.

“I was thinking about what a gay utopia would look like,” Gordi reflects on the making of the song. “ Mr Morale & The Big Steppers had just come out and we had it blaring through the speakers. I sat down at the piano and we recorded this low, subby, deteriorated part. I was imagining a scene - stumbling through the desert and this mirage appears, this beautiful Salvadore Dali-type world. Everything is melting and there is this giant figure, with their hand outstretched inviting me in. Fabricating an imaginary place where, as queer people, you could feel wholly accepted. When I got to the chorus, I wanted to turn this fictitious place into something internal, and suddenly maybe it's not a place at all, but a feeling.”

The otherworldly production and songcraft are heightened in the official music video, a sprawling visual depicting this dark fantasia. “I explained this idea to my friend, Maddy Purdy, who put together a concept for a video. She said there would be two characters in the video - a person who owned a scorpion, and the scorpion. I was to play both. It took nearly 2 hours to get the contacts in my eyes,” says Gordi.  

Madeleine Purdy, a longtime collaborator of Gordi and hometown friend, adds, “I think it’s an interesting question to ask yourself - If you had yourself as a pet, in a gorgeous little tank where you were safe, would you free you? We wanted to make a video that explored what it’s like being both the master of, and captive to, your own life.”

The track was mixed by Kayla Reagan, known for her work with Eartheater, Doja Cat and 100Gecs, who underscored the spacious arrangement while amplifying the brutality of the song’s climactic post-script section.

“Alien Cowboy” marks the beginning of Gordi’s third album campaign, and recently saw her perform four intimate, sold-out shows in her home country of Australia and a sold-out London show at The Old Church.

ABOUT GORDI

An award-winning and beloved Aussie export with tens of millions of streams to her name across DSPs, Gordi has an impressive catalogue and history behind her, including two full-length album releases and collaborations with Troye Sivan, Bon Iver, Ben Bohmer, Julien Baker, SOAK and more. The documentation of her journey through self-discovery, sexuality and identity shines through on albums Reservoir and Our Two Skins, the latter of which was recognised with an AIR Award and nominated for an ARIA and two J Awards. Gordi also co-wrote the theme song to the Oscar-nominated animated feature film The Mitchells vs the Machines.

Post-lockdown, where she returned for a stint as a medical doctor on the frontline, Gordi returned to live stages around the world, making her Sydney Opera House debut for VIVID, and completed extensive tours of Australia, the US and Europe with Bon Iver, The Tallest Man On Earth, Gang of Youths and more. 

Photo credit: Bianca Edwards 

To post a comment, you must register and login.