A breathtaking marriage of existential dread, human connection, and heavenly folktronica, Gordi and SOAK’s “Lunch At Dune” is cinematic, immersive, and utterly irresistible: A cathartic sonic and emotional journey into the depths of the heart and soul, reminding us what really matters most in this lifetime.
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Stream: “Lunch At Dune” – Gordi x SOAK
I know the pressure you feel seems relentless, but everything is fleeting, except you and I…
“You know it’s hard to see with your eyes closed,” Gordi sings at the start of “Lunch At Dune,” her gentle voice trembling with a heavy, aching, and unbearable weight.
“You’re getting lost in your mind out there; the world is crippling all you care for.”
Tenderness on the outside belies the turmoil within as the Australian singer/songwriter and producer delivers a breathtaking, soul-stirring reverie; a song so intimate and vulnerable, so fragile and delicate, that we can’t help but quiet down and listen close, taking in all she and collaborator SOAK have to say.
Gordi’s second song of the year (following a “sad cover” of Charli XCX’s “Apple”), “Lunch At Dune” is the kind of track that is sure to make listeners fall in love with her singular, stunning folktronica artistry all over again. Ethereal, atmospheric, and drenched in raw emotion, “Lunch At Dune” pulls inspiration from those moments where existential dread and human connection intertwine.
It’s the first look at a fresh set of songs made with Northern Irish folk artist and Mercury Prize winning singer/songwriter SOAK, and one that will no doubt come in handy on all of life’s rainy, stormy days ahead.
You know
It’s hard to see with your eyes closed
You’re getting lost in your mind out there
The world is crippling all you care for
Lights out
Like the city has closed down
All my galaxies in your grasp
Don’t abandon them I won’t last long
“Imagine you’re sat across from someone and there’s this overwhelming, insurmountable thing hanging over you both. And neither of you know what to say. There’s just a big, hollow space, where words should go. You want to comfort each other, say something reassuring, but words just don’t feel like enough. This was the feeling I was sitting in when I wrote ‘Lunch At Dune,’” Gordi tells Atwood Magazine.
“It was February 2020, and the world was coming to a standstill. I was in an Airbnb in London on a press trip for my upcoming record, and with every passing day, the situation around the pandemic was escalating. The stress of the minutiae of life was dramatically shoved into perspective as, suddenly, nothing mattered. So, as I have often done in my life in times of uncertainty and anxiety, I started writing. About perspective. About making the most of. About remembering what is truly important. These thoughts turned into ‘Lunch At Dune.’”
The song’s breathtakingly beautiful chorus is a moment of reckoning, of reflection, of confession, and raw, intimate connection.
Gordi and SOAK’s voices combine with effortless grace as they bare their naked souls, surrendering to this sacred space they’ve created together.
You
You are a force that renders me defenseless
And I,
I know the pressure you feel seems relentless
But everything is fleeting
Except you and I
“Everything is fleeting, except you and I.” Life is cruel and nothing is forever, but in a moment of true connection, we are immortal and undeniably everlasting.
“I was in a studio in Camden the following day and I mapped out the arrangement with guitars and layers of vocals,” Gordi says, continuing her story. “A lot of those pieces are in the final song. Over two years later, I flew to Durham in North Carolina to spend some time in the studio with my buddy, Brad Cook. Brad and I had met in 2018 when I sang with his band Big Red Machine at festivals in Eau Claire and Berlin. I took what Brad and I recorded together – guitars, keys, pedal steel – back to Melbourne, and sat tinkering with the song for many months, until I decided it needed another vocalist.”
“I had been a long-time admirer of SOAK’s songwriting, and even saw Bridie play in Sydney in 2014. I sent them the song and they hit me back, saying they were driving around the Portuguese countryside listening to it. They tracked their vocals remotely and I think it perfectly rounded out the song.”
Certain
Is the weight of what burdens you
Remember when we had lunch at Dune
It felt like something that we’d never get through
And we say
When things are better we forget
The nights and phone calls that we regret
So count the seconds and the minutes
and the hours and the days
There won’t be a second time
“Lunch At Dune” is romantic; “Lunch At Dune” is disarming; “Lunch At Dune” is cathartic, heartrending, and gut-wrenchingly beautiful.
Together, Gordi and SOAK have crafted a cinematic, immersive, and absolutely irresistible journey into the depths of not just the heart, but the soul: And it is within those powerful, achingly emotive depths that they express just how important it is to feel connected to someone else in our lives, especially in times of tension, struggle, and strife.
There doesn’t have to be a global pandemic to feel like all hope is lost; these emotions creep up on us all the time, and having a shoulder to cry on, a hand to hold and to squeeze, a pair of eyes to see us and a pair of ears to hear us can make all the difference between restful and sleepless nights; between our anxiety overwhelming us, and maintaining a sense of balance and calm.
At some point, it all stops…
At some point, it all stops…
For all the turmoil the came before us, and all that’s still to come, “Lunch At Dune” is a deep breath of love, comfort, and understanding. It’s a beautiful ballad in its own right, and a song we’ll no doubt have on hand, ready to listen to on repeat, for years and years to come.
You
You are a force that renders me defenseless
And I
I know the pressure you feel seems relentless
But everything is fleeting
Except you and I
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Stream: “Lunch At Dune” – Gordi x SOAK
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© Nicola O’Reilly
© Nicola O’Reilly
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