Where to even begin with the music of Nandi Rose – better known as Half Waif?
While the genuine “moment” she so richly deserves may yet lie in the future, beginning with 2018’s stunning Lavender, and continuing with the two masterful albums that have followed it, Rose has emerged as a unique songwriter without peer. Simply put, the way she casually blends the mundane moments of life with searing existential crisis (see “Ordinary Talk” for the perfect example) sets her apart from any other (often brilliant, to be sure) indie singer-songwriter.
All the while, she’s doggedly pushed forward, swerving past being pinned down by stripping away layers for 2021’s Mythopoetics, her most intimate, cutting (even, at times, desolate), and direct statement yet.
The years since have not necessarily been kind. Weathering familial loss and an illness of her own, she emerged, more determined than ever, to assert herself, her worth, and even, if you will, her glory.
So, Ephemeral Being, her latest work, was born. The five-track release will arrive on 31 May through ANTI.
To kick things off for the EP – promised as an introduction to a more extensive body of work – she’s today shared “Big Dipper”. Proving something of a surprise for the painfully reflective artists, the song is as interested in a groove as it is her sprawling, poignant lyrics and vocals, the track is largely propelled by insistent yet playful percussion and, gradually, keys, the latter kept strikingly, perfectly simple, all surrounded by twinkling synths and textures. It is – dare I say – a vibe.
Speaking on “Big Dipper”, Rose shares, “This is a song about looking for answers, and finding none, and looking again. It was written at a time when I was feeling very stuck in my body and overwhelmed by compounding griefs. I was inspired by the Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh, who had just passed away, and his idea of continuation–how we are not bound by our forms. We continue on. ‘This body is not me,’ he said. ‘So laugh with me, hold my hand, let us say good-bye, say good-bye to meet again soon.“
Check the song out below or find it on streamers.
Half Waif’s Ephemeral Being comes out on 31 May through ANTI (pre-order/save). You can find Half Waif on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
