Eleanor Murray

Informed by folk tradition while refusing to be confined by it, Eleanor Murray has long written music that lives in its own ecosystem. Her songs bend toward the intimate and the elemental, drawing from Appalachian roots, jazz‑leaning phrasing, and a lyrical style that can be both disarmingly direct and quietly mysterious. Over the years, she has built a body of work that feels hand‑carved—restless, warm, and unmistakably her own. With her new album PLAY LOVE, Murray opens another chapter in that evolution. Read more on Last.fm …read full bio

Informed by folk tradition while refusing to be confined by it, Eleanor Murray has long written music that lives in its own ecosystem. Her songs bend toward the intimate and the elemental, drawing from Appalachian roots, jazz‑leaning phrasing, and a lyrical style that can be both disarmingly direct and quietly mysterious. Over the years, she has built a body of work that feels hand‑carved—restless, warm, and unmistakably her own. With her new album PLAY LOVE, Murray opens another chapter in that evolution. The record is her boldest shift yet: a collection that leans into rhythm, emotional immediacy, and a sense of spaciousness that lets every melodic choice land with intention. PLAY LOVE carries the same depth and curiosity that have defined her earlier work, but with a renewed clarity; songs that move with pulse and purpose, exploring connection, vulnerability, and the strange joy of letting yourself be fully seen. It’s an album that feels alive in the room with you. Murray first gained wide attention with Bury Me Into the Mtn, recorded in a renovated church during a windstorm with members of Mount Eerie as her backing band. That album’s stark beauty and atmospheric weight marked a turning point, showcasing her ability to build entire worlds from minimal elements. From the soaring harmonies of its opening track to its spare, meditative close, it revealed an artist capable of holding tension and tenderness in the same breath. For nearly twenty years, Murray has been a steady presence in the Pacific Northwest music community, releasing five albums and performing hundreds of shows. Her path has taken her from the folk‑rooted storytelling of her 2008 debut For Cedar, through the darker, more untethered terrain of Oh Thunder (2010) and Thunderling (2011), and into the experimental edges of her side projects. From the haunting post‑rock of AANTARCTICAA to the bluegrass‑tinged swing of Tattered Dress, she is stylistically diverse. Along the way, she has shared stages with artists such as Tune‑Yards, Mountain Man, and Kimya Dawson, building a dedicated following drawn to her honesty and her ever‑shifting creative compass. Across all of these projects, one thing has remained constant: Murray’s unmistakable voice—both literal and artistic. She has never repeated herself, yet her music is instantly recognizable. PLAY LOVE continues that lineage, offering a new lens on an artist who keeps expanding her range without losing the core of what makes her work resonate. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.

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…shrink me down again