RJ Thompson has toured with Jools Holland, performed at the prestigious Royal Albert Hall, and recorded music at the world-famous Abbey Road Studio, but today, his four-month-old black Labrador Penny is stealing the show. ‘She’s lovely, but I’m pretty sure she’s about to wee in my house… I’ll find it later, it’s fine. I’ve got sprays,’ he laughs. ‘The rest of my family are on holiday in Portugal, but last week Penny decided to crack a tooth, and she has to have an operation, so I have to be here with her because I wanted a puppy.’
Aside from Penny’s trip to the vets, the day of our chat was significant for another reason – RJ Thompson’s latest single, Rescue You, dropped the same day. ‘I’m just switching my phone off because it’s buzzing away this morning,’ he says. ‘I’ve got things that are ringing here, and I don’t know how to get them to go off!’
Co-written with Tom Speight, Rescue You explores the idea that there’s no shame in needing someone. The synth-heavy track is reminiscent of a nostalgic 1980s summer, but it’s not a song that came to fruition quickly. ‘I always liked the song, but the original version didn’t feel like me,’ RJ explains. ‘I spent a lot of time reimagining it. We put it in a different time signature and tried to make some weird 80s 6/8 thing out of it, which didn’t work. It went through many iterations but came to be something quite special in the end.’
Today, RJ releases his sophomore album, Yearbook. ‘It’s the first time I’ve pulled all of my influences – The Beatles, Springsteen, and Beck – into one record.’ Written throughout lockdown, this latest body of work merges RJ’s classic storytelling style with his signature electronic sound in his most ambitious music yet. ‘A lot of the album is actually about loss,’ he explains. ‘We lost a few people close to us during the pandemic, and we lost time, but it was all written with the hope of feeling optimistic again.’ The supercharged indie-pop anthem Feel Alive embodies this idea, with lyrics such as ‘I don’t know where we’re going ‘til we get there, but I feel alive’ turning uncertainty into excitement for what the future holds. Paired with an iconic sax solo from The 1975’s John Waugh, it’s a feel-good anthem that’ll evoke dreams of twilight road trips and summer beach parties – all the things we’ve missed over the past two years.
Using his own experiences and stories as the foundation of his lyrics, RJ also draws inspiration from cinema, thinking about the whole picture of a song from its creation. ‘The track Longest Day of the Year has the lyric ‘there’s a party at the lake tonight.’ For me, that’s got that very 80s teen movie vibe to it straight away.’
Tapping into his passion for film, RJ has released a collection of cinematic visuals to accompany the new album. ‘We didn’t have a plan,’ he laughs. ‘I was in America visiting my drummer, Carl, who lives over there, and I was with my friend Ian who’s a filmmaker, and we thought we should shoot some videos while we’re there. But there was no plan.’ You’d be forgiven for thinking the Bonnie and Clyde-style getaway depicted in the video for Rescue You was the result of meticulous planning or that the peachy-coloured Las Vagas sunset in Feel Alive was forecasted for months ahead, but it was what RJ describes as a ‘happy accident.’ ‘The Feel Alive video was lit by the headlights from my friend’s car, and the house at the beginning of Rescue You was my drummer Carl’s house. The vintage car in Rescue You was Carl’s friend’s old car. It was literally a case of planning it the same morning, but we had a lot of fun.’
With the music and visuals nailed, RJ decided to give listeners something extra – an exclusive behind-the-scenes look into the recording of the songs at none other than the world-renowned Abbey Road Studios. ‘Standing on the spot where Lennon sang Strawberry Fields, playing on the piano that McCartney did Lady Madonna on, it doesn’t really get any better than that.’ Featuring the musicianship of RJ’s seven-piece band, the videos, produced by Adam Sinclair and directed by Ian West, give the watcher an inside glance into the craftsmanship that goes into every track, adding another chapter to the Yearbook album.
And it doesn’t stop there. The Yearbook vinyl cover features over 300 different versions to literally put you in the scene using augmented reality, adding another layer of connectivity to the music. ‘We filmed at different times of the day, different weathers, different times of the year. When you get the record and download the app, you can hold your phone over the cover, and you’ll see a version that’s relevant to where you are in the world.’
Throughout the 36 minutes I spoke with RJ Thompson, it’s clear to see he’s not just a singer-songwriter. He’s a creator. It’s not just about the songs – it’s also about the world surrounding them. It’s the lyrics, the videos, the live-action, the artwork – every piece of the puzzle fits together to make us feel like we’re a character in the narrative. ‘Music has always come first, but I’ve always loved artists who take it to the next level.’ Next level achieved.
RJ Thompson’s new album, Yearbook, is out now.
