Smidley
Conor Murphy’s full-band turn toward danceable, ’80s-tinted indie pop
Based in St. Louis, United States
The current record runs on mid-tempo synth-rock, disco pulse, sample-heavy passages and bright, layered guitars, with detours into shoegaze and tropicalia. Murphy’s voice shifts from conversational phrasing to a full wail; live, Brett Torrence, Mitch Renfrew and Jack Middeke give these songs a firm guitar-bass-drums frame.
More about Smidley
Smidley began as Conor Murphy’s release valve from the high-stakes post-rock and Midwest-emo drama of his St. Louis band Foxing. After Foxing went on hiatus, the project became a proper four-piece, and 2026’s Murphy Horse moved it toward ABBA, Broken Social Scene and ’80s new-wave reference points. It recasts one of the Midwest emo circuit’s most recognizable singers as a looser, dance-facing bandleader.
A story
When Conor Murphy was a baby, his older brother cast him as a superhero’s sidekick called Smidley; the family later gave that name to their dog.
Playing
- 2026-11-04 19:30 · Pitchfork Paris · Main Room · Main Room
Labels
Start here
- Murphy Horse (2026) · Royal Mountain Records
Start with the new full-band, dance-facing version of Smidley. - Here Comes The Devil (2022) · Grand Paradise
The darker bridge between Murphy’s solo writing and Foxing-scale drama.
Worked with
- Brett Torrence band member; guitar
- Mitch Renfrew band member; bass
- Jack Middeke band member; drums
- Lucy Dacus featured on “Capstone”
- NNAMDÏ featured on “Robin Egg”
For fans of
Animal Collective, Foxing, Prefab Sprout, George ClantonOfficial links
Pitchfork ParisBandcampSoundCloudSpotifyYouTubeWebsiteDiscogs
Plan Pitchfork Paris 2026 with Songpot · Ask about Smidley in ChatGPT or Claude