Richard Archer – Guitar, Vocals
Marc Ritchie – The Drums
Roger James – Bass
Somewhere else in the house England are playing Croatia, my son is having a watch. I’m more – let me know when we reach the knock-out matches and it gets exciting! That said, one of our cats has decided to watch the game with him, he is looking for a purrfect performance from the lads.
After all, life should be exciting enough for me as I am about to blast my way through the new RJ Archer and the Painful Memories album, released to all platforms on June 19, 2026.
Let me share the all important press release with you:
June 2026. Hot on the heels of gigs with Austin Gold and King Salami, R.J. Archer & the Painful Memories are releasing their fiery new album ‘Infernow’ though Spotify, Apple and all the usual streaming haunts, sure to leave them in smoking ruins.
At 8 tracks over 23 minutes, this is the briefest and most immediate album the gents have put together. And there’s a reason for that. RJ says “The thread running through the album is disgust at the current world we survive in – the intolerance, the lies, egomaniacs buying their way into power and surrounding themselves with idiot lackeys born to fail upwards. It’s all too much.”
Recorded at Half Ton Studio in an afternoon in January 2026, and then mixed in an afternoon in March 2026, this album shows the raw power of the band. Marc says: “It was recorded, mixed and mastered in less than 20 hours. That’s how we like it, we like the spontaneous and tight-but-loose live sound.”
What can I say to that? I am looking for that live feel, that ‘in-the-moment’ groove. After all, there is precedent for capturing lightning in a bottle. The Beatles famously recorded ten of the fourteen tracks for their debut album Please Please Me in a single ten-hour session.
So, with alacrity (my word of the day) – let us delve into the review:
“I Can’t Abide” opens up with an urgent drum and bass sound, a touch of funky hard rock. The repeating riff drives the car on this one and with the headphones on you get the intimate vibe of being there with the band – great little drum roll late in the track – and Marc Ritchie delivers with the sticks on this one.
“Bad Vibes” introduces a country rock, southern, sound to open the track. This one took me to the heat of the dust bowls.The track is quite raw, a deliberate theme that runs throughout the album. It’s not polished, it is immediate and the angst in the lyrics are tighter in consequence.
“Circle of Wolves” I liked. It has a stripped back feel, a bit of Oasis in there somewhere. It reminded me of something I would listen to in the dead of night on rock radio. I would play a game of pool while listening to this! A heavy beat, quite commercial in a laid back way.
“Grey Skies Soon Turn to Blue” changes direction a bit and we are ready for a road trip in the front of a lorry – storm clouds approaching and I am there hitching a lift and this is my soundtrack! It is a song that asks us to hold onto hope – that’s a message I echo – remember even in the darkest of times Hope remains in Pandora’s box!
“Rope Bridge” introduces an older-style rocker with that heartbeat in the drum sound. The bridge may be precarious, and the sky may be cold and grey, but I imagine this would get the crowd rocking along in the summer festivals.
“Rock & Roll Nobody” opens with a discord and then hits one of the heavier tracks on the album – the most punk influenced track on the album. This one doesn’t mess about – it arrives, kicks a bit of ass and then is gone leaving a neat chorus melody behind.
“The Death of a Dream” sees a strong vocal performance, a pounding rock sound and a message for those chasing the scraps as the dream dies. It retains that live feel, a feature of all the tracks on this album.
“Villains Like Glamour” – closes the album down with a frozen margarita and plenty of punk attitude fused with a live rock feel. It has that synergy which is a feature of the album, but I connected least to this track as a listener.
Infernow isn’t interested in polished edges, studio trickery or chasing perfection. What RJ Archer and the Painful Memories deliver instead is something increasingly rare—a band capturing a moment, plugging in, turning up and letting the songs speak for themselves. Across eight tracks and twenty-three minutes, there is frustration, hope, grit and plenty of rock and roll attitude. Not every track landed equally for me, but the album’s raw honesty and live-wire energy never wavered.
A raw, fiery shot of rock and roll realism that proves sometimes the best way to make a statement is simply to turn up the amps and tell the truth.’
If you enjoy your music polished to a mirror shine, Infernow may feel a little rough around the edges. If, however, you like your rock music honest, immediate and played with conviction, RJ Archer and the Painful Memories have plenty here to enjoy.
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You can stream music from RJ Archer and the Painful Memories here
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By Stevie Ritson
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