by Lily McInerney
Having a song released on Spotify at the age of seventeen is becoming Margot Gordinier’s new normal. Her newest single “Lego” was written over the course of many nights in her lit up, vinyl-filled bedroom. Her style of music is part of the new genre of music “bedroom pop” that has been becoming extremely popular, featuring artists like Clairo, Rex Orange County, and Omar Apollo.
“I record and produce on Garage Band using my mom’s old computer which is not in a studio. I’ll put weird effects on guitars to make it sound like synthesizers which does give it that low-fi aspect of bedroom pop,” said Margot.
When she was growing up, her house was permeated with sounds of “Amy Winehouse, Frank Sinatra, Norah Jones, Pharell, and The Beatles who certainly infiltrated into [her] subconscious.” As Margot got older she dipped more into music of her own liking by implementing Indie artists such as The Smiths, Sunflower Bean, and Snail Mail into her own music library.
Her creative journey began when she was around the age of five which involved singing as well. She started writing “angsty poems in sixth and seventh grade and put melodies to [her] words.”
Margot’s mom, Julie Schrader, said, “I think Margot enjoys to write because it is the true expression of herself. She is not the biggest extrovert and is a relatively private person—so her music gives her the opportunity to share with other people.”
In terms of her most recent song “Lego,” Margot chose the title because it comes from the Greek word “to speak.” The title correlates with the overall message that Margot conveys throughout her song of wanting to “speak the words that someone else spoke” which she admits is “not a healthy kind of yearning.” She wants people who listen to hopefully relate in some way but also said that, “I feel like people get out of music what it means to them.”
Accompanying her on the track is Jacob Lewin, a graduate of IHS.
Margot said, “He definitely got the vibe I was going for and added a lot of character to the song.”
Margot also credits song writing as an emotional outlet. “If I’m nervous, sad, or bored, I’ll pick up my guitar and hum a melody and ideas just start flowing out.”
In terms of balancing school and songwriting she says songwriting is, “pure procrastination” which is “not a healthy method of finding time, but [she’ll] get a song out of it.” But most of her music comes from her summers when she has time to delve into the specifics of a song.
Her passion for music and writing has taken her songs from her bedroom floor to the popular streaming platform Spotify in which many young songwriters, including Margot, attribute their DIY success to.
You can find her song here: https://open.spotify.com/track/5oIK0fK6WfbColJgdW0cnW?si=u-o2g8UbRo2-EaGKSLef1A
