Mythopoetics

Despite its meticulous and grandiose instrumentalization, this record is Nandi Rose’s 'Camelot', a masterclass in her own interpersonal gut-wrench, where she has finally figured out how to build a wall of sound that compliments her breathtaking vibrato.

Rose declares on “Swimmer.” “I hope you’re listening to me wherever you are.” With a record as authentically beautiful as Mythopoetics, we should be.

This record has that waltzing, wispy quality which makes you want to stand on the top of a hill and have a good cry. It's far from the first album to do that in this style, and even further from being the most experimental, but it really nails what it’s going for.

Overall there's a great deal to love on this album, whether you're hiding from the world or belting out some catharsis at your next (socially-distanced) garden party.

Mythopoetics may be Rose's most approachable album, but that just means that the world has finally caught up with Half Waif's wide-lens world.

Mythopoetics advances Half Waif’s tendency toward plurality of voice.

Devoid of meaty pop nuggets, Mythopoetics sounds like an unstable wormhole that travels from 2020’s critically-lauded The Caretaker to wherever the heck the Half Waif project lands next.

While Half Waif's cinematic, keyboard-based atmospheres have generally expanded with each album to this point, they reach another level of vibrancy and drama on their fifth album, Mythopoetics. Partly written by project leader Nandi Rose during the COVID-19 outbreak -- its predecessor, The Caretaker, was released in March 2020 as much of the U.S. was locking down -- it adopts a less familial, more philosophical outlook while remaining distinctly personal.