Half Waif, the project of Nandi Rose, has returned with a new single titled “Orange Blossom,” alongside its accompanying music video. The song will appear on Half Waif’s upcoming 7″, which will include the B-side “Party’s Over,” that will be released on February 24.
“Orange Blossoms” features magical piano tones and sparkling tunes, Rose’s deeper vocals contrasting with the angelic instrumentals. The track sways throughout its length, rising and falling while the instrumentals dance around Rose’s lyrics. “Somebody buy me roses/Somebody make sure I get out of bed today,” she begins, begging for someone to help her get through the day in a plea for help.
The video brings a slightly forest feel, Rose dressed in a fairy-like outfit as thin tree limbs stretch across her arms. She begins dancing in dark rainbow hues and walking towards a full moon, offering up a glass to the bright moonlight. Soon she finds herself walking amid a large field, amplifying the fairy-like aspects of the video.
“I wrote ‘Orange Blossoms’ soon after finishing The Caretaker, and in some ways, it feels like the next chapter in that story,” Rose said in a press statement. “In the fall of 2019, I found myself taking care of someone close to me who was struggling with addiction, and as a caretaker often does, I internalized that immense pain and took it on as my own. It’s paralyzing, to feel so powerless when trying to help someone you love. The song came out like an incantation, a desperate plea to be rescued from wrestling with everything. But it unfolded into something more resolute as I refocused on the task of taking responsibility for myself and my own life. The song touches on a phrase that kept coming back to me at that time, which was: ‘no one’s going to do it for you.’ You can help and be helped, you can love and be loved, but salvation is your own to seek and claim.”
“Orange Blossom” comes as Half Waif’s first release since their 2020 album The Caretaker, which had been released last April. The Caretaker featured several singles, including “Halogen 2,” “In August” and “Powder.” In 2018, Half Waif released the album Lavender, which had been the project’s third studio LP.
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