Last night, Smidley, the project of Conor Murphy, announced his new album Murphy Horse, is due September 25, through Royal Mountain Records, at the St. Louis Cardinals game after throwing the first pitch. Today, he presents the album’s lead single “Capstone,” which features vocals from Grammy award-winning singer/guitarist Lucy Dacus. In the past ten years, Murphy the person and Smidley the band have come to exist beyond the mere creative overflow left unexplored in his work with Foxing, a beloved band now on an indefinite hiatus.
The reaction to and celebration of his time up to this point, both in and out of past projects and relationships, are what reinforce the emotional foundations of Murphy Horse. The whimsy and drama that were either too much or ill-fitting for Foxing find a home in Smidley. Though not a debut by any means, to Murphy, Murphy Horse certainly feels like one. The confusion and doubt are no longer debilitating because Murphy has the support he spent his whole life seeking. Everything and everyone can be repurposed.
Through Murphy’s own growth in and out of Smidley, though, art and life itself have entered into an ongoing cycle of redefinition. This redefinition isn’t a destination, but a new pathway paved by his gratitude for and security in the artist, husband, and man that he’s become. “These songs summarize a year of confusion and doubt where the only thing I was actually sure of is that I married the love of my life,” Murphy explains. “Those two ideas were the basis for every song here.”
Murphy Horse Tracklist
1. Corpse Flower Feat. Shinra Knives
2. Capstone Feat. Lucy Dacus
3. Murphy Horse
4. Love In Every Direction
5. Today Was A Wash
6. Friendly’s
7. People Like You
8. Robin Egg
9. Nearer To You
10. Old Things Never Die
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