Smidley

For the past decade, the amorphous sound of St. Louis band Foxing has been anchored by frontman Conor Murphy’s bittersweet lyrics, compelling melodies, and gymnastic dynamic vocal delivery ranging from whisper-quiet crooning to hysterical yelps. On Here Comes The Devil, the second LP by his solo project Smidley, Murphy pushes his well-honed skill set to its extremes; it is simultaneously his lightest, darkest, calmest, and most chaotic work to date. Named after Murphy’s childhood dog, Smidley emerged in 2017 with a self-titled album of bombastic, damaged indie pop. 

Fans of that debut or Murphy’s main gig Foxing will find familiar touchstones in the sentimental opener “Farewell” and the destructive jangle of “Another Devil.” Murphy’s palette expands throughout Here Comes The Devil, dipping into borderline yacht rock with “I’m Breaking My Own Heart,” channeling Belle And Sebastian’s elegance on the propulsive “Table Rock Antichrist,” and interrupting “Canto Of Queens” with intimate electronics like James Blake crashing a Broken Social Scene show Kool-Aid Man style. Here Comes The Devil was self-produced by Conor Murphy and features a small cast of co-conspirators including electronic artist Shinra Knives, Landlady/Japanese Breakfast saxophonist Adam Schatz, and Foxing guitarist E.M. Hudson (who also handled mixing duties). The album comes out 11/11/2022 on Murphy and Co’s Grand Paradise label. -Ryan Wasoba

team
  • agent // David Galea // david.galea@unitedtalent.com
  • mgmt // joseph@lessermatters.com
select tour history
(2022 & 2023 seasons)
Masquerade (Purgatory)
The Masquerade (Purgatory)
Atlanta
GA
300
2023
Songbyrd
Songbyrd
Washington
DC
200
2023
Mahall's 20 Lanes (Main)
Mahall's 20 Lanes (Main)
Lakewood
CO
350
2023
Beat Kitchen
Beat Kitchen
Chicago
IL
275
2023
Vera Project
The Vera Project
Seattle
WA
500
2023
Goldfield Trading Post
Goldfield Trading Post
Sacramento
CA
300
2023
Bottom of the Hill
Bottom of the Hill
San Francisco
CA
250
2023