brushstroke’s 2023 Debut Album, “Neon Museum”

A long overdue piece on one of my favorite local albums of 2023, Neon Museum.

One of the town’s standout producers and collaborators, brushstroke AKA @musicbymurph on IG is 1/5 of the new, neo-soul / indie glam group Star Destroyers, that’s laced with silky falsettos (AJAY, Jonill, Kyon, and Tuck Ryan) and has recently collaborated on the new Taylor Kelly EP and plays live for a slew of artists including NYLA.

Neon Museum is hard to quantify in a great way. If I could choose a setting to enjoy, it would be on a bike ride through fairmount park on a 75 and sunny morning. Turn it on and commit.

From Spotify bio:

brushstroke is the moniker and solo project of Philadelphia based musician, Eoin Murphy. Drawing from a wide range of inspirations and collaborators, brushtroke blends together genres such as Neo-Soul, Psycho Pop, and Alternative R&B to create his own world of sound.

Sounds about right. Glowing, as it should be, but accurate. Got to imagine trippy indie rock is in that blend as well.

“Moonlight” stood out to me. Catchy, supersonic, rhythm, we’re not in hyperspace mode, we’ve got the spaceship on cruise control, riding the galaxy speed limit because we’re a little too high to drive. Gentle and optimistic. It’s feel good music, even if all the lyrics don’t quite match.

The harmonies on “Enchanted” lift the soul and the connection to your person, if you’ve got one. The breakdown 75% through and the reincarnation… I’m going to suggest that it symbolizes a fight, a break, a tough time in a relationship, and then the reconciliation… but that’s just my interpretation.

@musicbymurph — instagram.com/musicbymurph

Live “Clouds” version with AJAY: