Cornelia Murr’s concert at Toad’s Place put her layered and hypnotic discography on satisfying display, her once “fraught relationship” with performing live turning into something completely new.

Stream: “Spiral of Beauty” – Cornelia Murr

Early this year when Cornelia Murr sat down with Atwood Magazine to discuss her second record, Run to the Center, a folksy dreamlike project, she had this to say about performing live:

“I have, to be a honest, a pretty fraught relationship with playing live, but it’s not because I hate it, it’s that I have often had to do it solo for logistics reasons and I really don’t want to do that anymore… I’m gonna be touring a lot this year beyond these shows and I’m just happy to say I’m determined to make it work… I have not fulfilled what I want to do with my live performances yet and I feel very hungry to figure that out… I’m really excited and I feel like it’s time!”

After getting the chance to see her live at Toad’s Place in New Haven, Connecticut, Murr has undoubtedly found bandmates with palpable chemistry, serving to bring her distinct sound to stage in a captivating manner, one that is deserving of Murr’s enchanting discography.

Cornelia Murr on Her Artistic Evolution, the Journey Home, & Sophomore Album ‘Run to the Center’

:: INTERVIEW ::

Murr was opening for Matt Maltese on his ‘Tour For You My Whole Life’ tour. With her soundscapes and vocals that are just as transportive as Maltese’s body of work, she made for a fantastic opener to get fans ready for Maltese. Murr played a wide range of songs old and new with the limited time she had as an opener, all of which spanned the range she displays within the subgenre of the melancholic, alternative, lyrical pop that her music sits in.

Newer tracks like “Meantime” and “How Do You Get By” were standouts. These songs already have a life of their own when listening to the studio recording, but the intricacies and moving parts all come to life in the live versions. Whether that be the waves of synth that triumphfully build and gracefully recede towards the end of “Meantime” to the thumping drums contrasting with the softness of Murr’s voice on “How Do You Get By,” Murr and her bandmates imbued the songs with a hypnotic quality on the stage.

One of the most striking aspects of the performance was how tuned in and passionate each member of Murr’s band seemed to be throughout the show, especially since Murr noted how she typically was touring solo prior to the release of Run to the Center. It’s a low bar to expect members of your band to be engaged in the music you’re performing, but from James Preston on the bass and backing vocals to Henry Raker on the flute and synth, there were countless moments where each of them were so clearly in a flow state of performance, under the hypnotic quality of the very music they perform. It only served to make Murr’s voice and songs at large all the more captivating.

Murr continued to play fan favorites, such as the spacey “Tokyo Kyoto” and “Different This Time” off her first record Lake Tear of the Clouds and newer tracks that are more grounded in folksy production from Run to the Center like “Pushing East” and “Skylight.” Before her show at Toad’s Place, she had recently released two songs that never made it onto Run to the Center, one of which she performed titled “Gotta Give.” The track is Murr at her best, effortlessly mixing both of the sounds on her two records. The first half is a more drawn-back display of her vocals and broader instrumentation with a piano chorus that sounds smooth and light live, with the second chorus building to a more grand, yet floaty climax, flute in harmonization with the piano and Murr’s voice. It was without a doubt one of the most alluring performances to come out of the night.

Once Matt Maltese took to the stage, we thought that was the last we would see of Murr for the night, but Maltese brought Murr back out on stage to perform two songs with him, a testament to his respect and admiration for her as an artist. They sang Maltese’s “Arthouse Cinema” and “Pined For You My Whole Life,” both tracks allowing for their unique voices to come together and create a tone all on their own.

After seeing Murr at Toad’s Place, it’s clear that her relationship with live performances has morphed into one of camaraderie and pure expression rather than the rocky relationship she had developed with the practice in the past.

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