RJ Thompson is one of the hardest working singer-songwriters who captured attention by working with Jools Holland as a support act as well as releasing his own music which is poignant, socially and politically aware. 'Skimming Stones' is the fourth single from his recent album 'Echo Chamber' and is a lot more melancholy compared to the previous dancey-retro singles. The album delves into the upheaval of the political landscape we have all experienced the past few years, from a personal perspective and also how it has reflected society. 'Skimming Stones' takes a different stance and is more about a relationship ending without either party releasing what happened. The video was directed by RJ himself.

He explains, “This track is essentially about a relationship coming to an end without either person realising it was ending. For that, we used the blindfolded and handcuffed imagery to represent two people who were bound together, with no direction, blind to the issues that they are having. In contrast to that, we have two interpretive dancers performing in a grand theatre, which represents the relationship that they think they have. They think everything is romantic and tight, but as the song progresses the dance becomes more and more clumsy, and almost aggressive. Both dancers try to pull away but can’t...they are fighting but can’t separate.”

How would you describe your sound to new listeners?

That’s always a really hard question. A lot of people are comparing the new album to some early Phil Collins stuff, and even Leonard Cohen in places, but overall it’s more modern than that. It sits quite well alongside people like James Bay. James Bay with synths lets say!

Your songs always have a lot of meaning from personal to social / political - what messages are you hoping to get across?

The whole album is about opening your mind, and asking people to listen more. I hate the world events of the last 18 months (Brexit, Trump etc), purely because I believe they are inward… all about “us us us” and less about community, sharing, building bridges. I think that comes across throughout the record.

With your new song 'Skimming Stones', your video seems very symbolic - can you tell me more about it? And how the visuals tie in with the lyrics?

The blindfold / handcuff theme has been running through the whole album – they feature on the album artwork as well as in the 'London' video – in those instances, however, they are used to represent people feeling helpless while the political sh*tstorm gathers pace around them. But in this video, they are there to represent the two people in the relationship being bound together but blind to their problems. The interpretive dancers represent the relationship that they think they have. It starts out romantic and tight, but as the video progresses, that starts to fall apart too.

Tell me about your latest album 'Echo Chamber’

It’s the result of me taking some time out to figure out what kind of artist I want to be. I wanted to make a record that I would listen to myself. I went away and listened to loads of old music… music that inspired me when I was growing up. This album is the result of that process.

What are the challenges of being in the music industry in this day and age?

I think the biggest challenge is the same as it always was… how you cut through and make your voice heard. All the newer online platforms are great for small independent artists, but they also mean that you are a tiny fish in a massive massive sea of incredibly talented people.

What song do you wish you could have written?

'Thunder Road' by Springsteen

Who is on your playlist at the moment?

Beck’s new album 'Colors'.

There is a film being made about your life - who would play you and why?

That dude who played Billy Elliot can do a good North-East accent, so probably him. He’s also got rhythm.

Dream collaboration?

Springsteen, definitely.

What keeps you awake at night?

Everything. Haha!

Guilty pleasure?

Everything 80s.

You have been making music for a few years now - what advice can you give to artists just starting out?

Gig gig gig. Write write write. Don’t lose confidence and believe in yourself.

You can stream 'Echo Chamber' here.