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