Daily Inspiration: Meet Jed Murphy

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jed Murphy.

Hi Jed, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
For me my musical journey began as a child when my family inherited my grandmother’s grand piano. We had to get rid of our couch to make room for it so my parents insisted my siblings and I take lessons. I can’t say I stuck with it, but in high school and early college, I took up acoustic guitar and was drawn to folk and early country songs. Thankfully, that ended when I discovered a band called The Presets out of Australia and met a friend who showed me the scope of what was possible with one synth, a drum machine and a sampler.

Eventually, I formed a project called futurebabes and played all over Colorado shaping my style and sound. DEBR4H started after I was losing steam with futurebabes. I had gigged really hard and was burning myself out while also not progressing in the right direction. I wasn’t happy with the recordings I had and my long-time bandmate and original bassist Michael Unruh stepped away to pursue his education career. At the same time, I was getting better and better show offers so I felt like it was falling apart when I needed it the most. At this point I met my wife Kayna Hobbs-Murphy, and she joined the band (mostly out of pity) and that gave it some new steam but I knew something had to change.

I approached our good friend Oliver Mueller of the band Slow Caves to produce a new EP and he suggested a name change as a fresh start. Kayna came up with the name DEBR4H to pay homage to the ‘80s moms out there that would listen to our brand of synth-pop. We released our debut EP, Taipei Rock City, in January of 2019 and since then have released two singles and have an album on the way.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
It’s been a journey that is for sure. Pre covid we had struck a balance between our lives and playing around Colorado. We built a lot of momentum from our EP and were getting great shows. Zach Visconti of the band safe keeper joined as our bassist and Oliver Mueller would eventually become our full-time guitarist. Then the lockdown came and it was as if everything started over. Zach moved to a cabin in California and Oliver disappeared into his basement for a year and came out looking like Forrest Gump when he decided he doesn’t want to run anymore. We still did some cool things that would only happen in the bizarre world of the Colorado covid music scene like being one of eight bands selected for 2020’s FoCoMX for a live stream performance, but it was almost two years before we were playing out regularly again. The saddest part of all to me is how little writing I got done. I thought with all that free time I would write a whole album but the existential dread of dealing with a global pandemic and the uncertainty of what would happen next left me feeling creatively bankrupt.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am the lead vocalist/songwriter/producer/beat maker of DEBR4H. We are a synth-pop band that specializes in combining melodramatic and moody songwriting over synth-heavy pop beats in the style of bands such as Future Islands, Beach House, and Depeche Mode just to name a few. As a songwriter, I have always been attracted to a more folksy and almost country type of storytelling, usually something that takes you on a journey. From this realm of things, I draw influence from artists like Bruce Springsteen, Kate Bush, Johnny Cash, and Neil Young. What sets us apart from other bands is I try to stick to my folksy roots and set it to hard-hitting synth-pop with the goal of moving people on an emotional level. Doing this has allowed me to express a vulnerability I think our audience can pick up on. I like to mix humor in between songs because if we’re going to bring people down, the least, we can do is bring them back up.

Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
I worked as a music journalist for several years focused primarily on the northern Colorado scene so I’m always on the hunt for the coolest music happening around me. Right now, the single best album I’ve heard from a Colorado band is Retrofette’s, Oh No. In terms of soundscape, songwriting quality, production, and risk-taking, it is stellar. Recently though, I’ve stepped away from music journalism to focus on my family duties and DEBR4H, so now I drive a forklift for a large brewery in Fort Collins to pay the bills. Spending my day on the lift gives me a ton of time to explore all the media out there I’ve missed out on over the years. These days, we’re bombarded by so much that it’s hard to find the time to take in whole albums as they’re intended and thankfully, I have a job that lets me do that. Last year my friend (the same friend who opened my eyes to synth music) suggested a sci-fi book series called The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu. Explaining the plot is super dorky so I’ll spare you the details, but I was deeply moved by the scope and the exploration of the human condition. I listened to it on audiobook while at work and when I reached the end of the series I had to find a place in the warehouse to hide behind some pallets and just sit and take in how absolutely insignificant we are in the universe.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.debr4h.com
• Instagram: @_debr4h_
• Facebook: facebook.com/debr4h
• Twitter: @DEBR4H
• Email: debr4h@gmail.com
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/debr4h
• Other: https://debr4h.bandcamp.com/ 

Image Credits
Color photos by Ben Ward. Black and white photos of just Jed by Grayson Reed.