RJ Thompson Returns With New Single 'Your Money or Your Life'

Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist RJ Thompson has shared brand new single 'Your Money Or Your Life', the artist's first release since 2020's sophomore album Lifeline.

Staying true to his artistry, the track - co-produced by Adam Sinclair - boasts RJ's impeccable songwriting and impassioned vocals, backed by an upbeat indie-pop soundscape and plenty of playful synth. With reflective lyricism, RJ continues to create music that successfully combines relevant and relatable concepts with euphoric pop sensibilities.

"'Your Money Or Your Life' is about the notion that throughout your life you are left with regular decisions to make that pit what is best for you as a person against what is best for you socially or financially. I think the pandemic kind of highlighted that issue quite a lot... the difficult choices people have to make every day to survive," said RJ Thompson.

Alongside the track, RJ unveils a brand new music video. Premiering on CLASH - who called the song "a daring firecracker of a tune, with its glorious summer-fuelled energy bouncing out of the speakers", and the music video "a burst of isolation imagination" - it was filmed inside four walls as most of his new era was written, during the Coronavirus lockdown. The multi-instrumentalist jams in solitary as the room is painted from an empty, lonely white to warm oranges and blues, a spectacle of lights turning RJ's solo performance into a show that, with a little imagination, could be on any stage.

Following on from 2020's Lifeline - which debuted at Number 1 on the Official UK Download Chart, following with a Number 5 on the Official UK Album Chart upon its physical release in the Spring of last year - 'Your Money Or Your Life' and much of the upcoming music was created within RJ's own home, in isolation like most of the world. Despite being physically restricted, the headspace it granted inspired dreams, reflection and ultimately the music he would now prepare to release as his most ambitious yet.

Dubbed 'Synth Springsteen' by the UK media and influenced by the likes of Beck, Brandon Flowers and Bleachers, RJ Thompson's artistry merges brilliant storytelling with a signature nostalgic sound. He's received lots of love on BBC radio from the likes of BBC Radio 2, 6Music and BBC Introducing. The Times claims that he is 'one to watch' while The Guardian hails the artist as 'prolific', with additional acclaim from the likes of Wonderland and CLASH.

Starting his journey in the backstreet pubs and clubs of his native North-East, having taken up the drums aged six and self-taught guitar and piano later on, RJ has gone on to perform all over Europe, including as support for musical legend Jools Holland on multiple tours, performing at venues including the Royal Albert Hall.

RJ's debut album Echo Chamber was a contemporary take on nostalgic music and wider culture with a distinctly retro production technique. It gained critical acclaim and helped cement him as an artist to watch. Later, sophomore album Lifeline saw RJ experiment with augmented reality, using the same creative energy that fuelled his music to turn the album into a truly unique, personalised experience.

Listeners with RJ's iOS & Android app installed were able to hold their phones over the record's cover - a childhood picture taken in Blackpool - to see the weather and time of day of the artwork change to match the conditions wherever they were in the world. "It was about making the world of the record much bigger," RJ explained of this innovation. "Creating the songs comes first and foremost, but I'm also really into creating a deeper world around them as well and the augmented reality really extended the life of the record".

Watch the new music video here:

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