Photos by Ava Bozic
Cornelia Murr joins Matt Maltese on his current tour, Tour For You My Whole Life, which has introduced me to her incredible discography. Her newest album, Run to the Center, was released in February of this year and encapsulates the introspective, intimate nature of her music.
Attending Matt Maltese with Cornelia Murr at the Greek was quite the night. The Uber ride to the Greek got me good…unfortunately. My carsickness got the best of me, but my lovely driver, Hildo, couldn’t have been nicer. So the night began in a whirl of chaos and kindness, and I arrived in a daze.
Luckily, my dream-like state was quite fitting to enjoy Murr’s set. Opening with a jazzy sax solo and a rather witchy — in the best way — introduction to her song “How Do You Get By,” she beautifully performed with her stunning breathy vocals and incredible band.
“Meantime” highlighted her lyrical prowess interweaving with her psychedelic, dream pop sound. Her set reminded me of many ‘60s and ‘70s female artists that I absolutely adore — such as The Feminine Complex, Roberta Flack, and Margo Guryan — without losing her unique touch.
Each song had a punch to it, breathtakingly delicate, yet strong. “Pushing East” and “Tokyo Kyoto” showed off the satisfying sonic balance she captures in her instrumentation. I found “Gotta Give” to be my personal highlight of her set. I’m such a sucker for beautiful lyrics, piano, and layered vocals. I googled “words to describe the feeling of music that makes you want to sway like a delicate beat drop,” which is all I need to say about how I felt during her performance. Cornelia Murr was born in London and has since lived in California, Colorado, Massachusetts, and New York. Her music brings together the breadth of her experiences and makes for such a classic yet modern sound.
After the set, my friend and I were lucky enough to meet Cornelia at the merch stand, where she signed our Lake Tear of the Clouds vinyl and engaged with us in a lovely chat. She was so kind and equally interested in us, and soon we were two giddy girls running off with our records.
Speaking of giddy, I counted the weeks on my calendar until the event titled “Matty Baby Maltese <3” finally came around; I was anticipating a religious event. I hope he’d be okay with my nickname for him.
Maltese’s British, self-deprecating yet unserious lyricism, paired with his cinematic and jazzy sound, has me impatiently waiting for new music, covers, or tours at all times and resonates with me as if I were a young male British singer in a past life. Ever since he began the rollout for his newest album, Hers, with “Anytime, Anyplace, Anyhow” in January of this year, I’ve been waiting to see him live. I was lucky to see him at the Wiltern on my birthday in 2024, so I knew I was in for a treat.
He opened the show with “Always Some MF” where he sings “motherf***er” the sweetest I’ve ever heard the word. It’s a great example of how he masterfully blends his picturesque sound with quite the humorous yet relatable lyricism.
“Curl Up & Die” was one of the best for me, as it perfectly embodies his romantic, self-deprecating humor, and was paired with a charming short story of a rude man who turned to him and said, “Curl up and die” on the tube.
We were lucky to witness a Cornelia Murr and Matt Maltese duet singing “Arthouse Cinema,” the first track on Maltese’s newest album. They share the same introspection that feels like walking alone in the rain, taking a train, and staring out the window.
Ending the show with “Everyone Adores You” I was transported to scenes of blasting Maltese’s music in my ears, lying on the floor, and staring at the ceiling. His music embodies life’s more lonesome activities, pondering existential struggles and ultimately dealing with the severity of life through sarcasm and romanticizing the simple moments.
If you get a chance to witness the serene and beautiful pairing of performances on this tour, I highly recommend finding a show in your city.
Listen to Cornelia Murr’s latest album, Run to the Center, here:
Listen to Matt Maltese’s latest album, Hers, here:
