Morgan Nagler has once again risen to meet her own hype with “Orange Wine”, a song that speaks to the discomfort, disillusionment, and inflated egos which populate a number of vast cityscapes — in this case, she’s zeroing in on the dystopian sprawl of Los Angeles. The song has a casual folk-rock demeanor, with Nagler loping about in this playground of false hopes and false affections, but there’s a seed of pop bitterness incubating at its center, a feeling of overt hopelessness at the world and its machinations.
Her voice floats like a cloud above the squalid remnants of her dreams, but maybe things aren’t exactly as they appear. “Orange Wine” is a trek through the disorienting lens of perception, and it begs for deeper inspection. Her observations are almost Lynchian in their sordid realizations, gauzy memories that seem close to revealing their deceptions, though Nagler is perhaps a less-than-trustworthy narrator. But, then again, who is?
It follows on the heels of her previous single, “Cradle the Pain“, and finds her once again working with producer-musician King Tuff (aka Kyle Thomas), who also co-wrote both songs. The song also features backing vocals from Allison Crutchfield and Bethany Cosentino, and enlists Gabe Noel (Kamasi Washington, Kendrick Lamar) on bass and Josh Adams (Cat Power, Weyes Blood) on drums. The accompanying video was directed by Christian Stavros.
“‘Orange Wine’ is about living in Los Angeles in the modern age,” explains Nagler. “It’s a caricature of itself and of myself. It’s a love and hate relationship. I’m not interested unless it’s heartbreaking – but heartbreakingly beautiful is the ultimate yin yang.“
Watch the video for “Orange Wine” below and check out some of her upcoming tour dates with Rilo Kiley and Kurt Vile.
Tour Dates:
Sat. May 17 – Boise, ID @ Treefort Music Hall *
Mon. May 19 – Jackson Hole, WY @ Center for the Arts *
Wed. May 21 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom *
Fri. May 23 – Portland, OR @ Grand Lodge *
Sat. May 24 – Woodinvale, WA @ Chateau Ste. Michelle *
Wed. June 4 – Los Angeles, CA @ Zebulon
Thur. June 19 – Santa Ana, CA @ The Observatory ^
* with Rilo Kiley
^ with Kurt Vile
“Orange Wine” is out now on Little Operation Records and More. Follow Nagler on X and Instagram.
