Boston-based troubadour, Patrick Mulroy of the band Grain Thief, is preparing to release his LP Other People’s Houses on January 27th, 2023. Surviving the Golden Age is excited to premiere the lead single from the album, “My Purple Chip.”
It is important to note there are many different purple chips in the world. One is a potato chip made from purple potatoes which boasts it is high in antioxidants. Another is the stock market term used to describe high-quality stocks with relatively low risk. Finally, there is the definition Mulroy is using in “My Purple Chip” which is a coin given for being 9 months sober.
While Grain Thief is known for their string band hybrid of bluegrass and country, “My Purple Chip” takes those influences and filters them through heartland rock. You can hear the influences of Springsteen and Drive By Truckers in the earnest lyrics and explosion of piano and guitar.
“It tries to capture the emotions of failure, but there’s triumph there too, of a kind that only those that have fallen the hardest truly understand: the triumph of finally taking two steps forward, even if it means one more backwards,” said Mulroy. “‘Purple Chip’ is the last song on the record but the first to be released, because it bookends the subject matter within the album.”