John Murry has come a long way.
The Mississippi-born, San Francisco-based singer is enjoying a breakout in the U.K. But it could easiily have turned out much different. Ten years ago, Murry moved to the Golden State and began a decent into the downward spiral of drug addiction. Today, he’s lucky to be alive, let alone a rising star.
Murry explores this dark past on his debut album “The Graceless Age” and on the single lifted from it, “Little Colored Balloons”.
The new song documents Murry’s harrowing heroin overdose in San Francisco’s Mission, during which time he clinically died. In “Balloons,” he sings of a “saran wrap, little colored balloons, a black nickel, a needle and a spoon.”
“Balloons” is captured as a nostalgic trip by its director Chuck Mobley. Mobley, who runs SF Camerawerk in San Francisco, illustrates the clip with references to many of the themes found on “The Graceless Age” using images collected from online sources that exist in the public domain.
Murry’s new album was released in the U.K. and Australia last year and arrived April 2 in the U.S. through Evangeline Recording Co. It’s been met with a wave of critical praise on both sides of the Atlantic. In Britain, the album was nominated for music magazine Uncut’s 2012 “album of the year” award. The set was produced in San Francisco by Murry and the late Tim Mooney of American Music Club.