For this feature, the first of the 2025 for us, I am flying solo with a feature for the first time. I must say that having been given the review for the album (which I include below), I asked the bosses (lol) if I could do an interview to accompany the review for your reading pleasure. And the man in the office said, “Yes.” So all excited, I set about putting this together for you.
First of all, let me pull from the official biography of the band and give you a bit of background.
Richard Archer, Guitar, Vocals
Ben Kingsbury, Guitar, Backing Vocals
Roger James, Bass, Backing Vocals
Marc Ritchie, The Drums
R.J. Archer & the Painful Memories were formed in 2019 when Richard Archer (guitar, vocals) received a competition prize of some studio time and recruited long-term friends Roger James (bass), Ben Kingsbury (guitar) and Marc Ritchie (drums) to help him out. The results were so good, they decided to carry on!!
Two albums down the road (‘Hot Mess’ in 2021 and ‘Horseplay!’ in 2023) and critical comparisons have been drawn to everyone from MC5 to Grand Funk Railroad to Dr. Feelgood. With acclaimed sets at the Cambridge Salty Dog Festival and Buckfest, plus support slots with cult rock bands like Slady and Gypsys Kiss they’ve earned a reputation as a killer live act too.
With their recently released singles “Get It Together” and “Out of Line” gathering airplay on rock radio stations such as Total Rock, Rock Radio UK and ERB, it’s time to get excited for their new album “The Cost of Loving Crisis” due for release on January 31, 2025, on all major platforms.

First, the interview with Richard Archer.
Let’s begin with the cover and the album title, “The Cost of Loving Crisis.” I have to admit that I completely misread the title to begin with as I glanced at the album and read it as ‘The Cost of Living Crisis.’ In consequence of this real muppet moment, this reminded me of those classic Ska bands like Selector and The Specials (I know you are not Ska, but I love those bands). I always think it is a tightrope when politics enters music. For example, we always say we are a non-political magazine, but in our editorials we do touch on it sometimes—like when Iranian singer and rapper Toomaj Salehi was sentenced to death for placing politics in his music, we openly supported him. But when the US celebrities all come out with their endorsements, I often think, “Just leave it alone; who cares?” Do you find it a hard balance?
Richard: The cover was illustrated and designed by Naomi Randall, who also produced the album. She has been the silent mastermind behind this whole album! The title ‘The Cost of Loving Crisis’ is a pun on ‘The Cost of Living Crisis’ but is more intended as a summary of the album’s themes, which are mainly relationship-focused rather than a political statement. We don’t get overly political in our songs, but we love a lot of artists that do—the Dead Kennedys and Bob Dylan are great examples.
I loved the drum sound on the album, delivered by Marc Ritchie. Drums are often neglected by reviewers but they are the heart of the beat. In songwriting for the album, were the drums consciously worked into the songwriting or did Marc explore the sound he wanted in the studio?
Richard: I often make demo’s of the songs I write and then hand them to the fellers so they can get a feel for what I was thinking of but the finished parts are down to them. Marc always says that he likes to play the drums as if they were the evil truck in Steven Spielberg’s Duel!! So anytime we will record his drums, that’s the sound he’s aiming for!!
In ‘A Winter’s Tale, Shakespeare says, “A Sad Tale’s Best for Winter?” Do you agree? I ask because you have the wonderfully titled “A Heart in Winter.” I wrote: A ballad, whimsical, acoustic and stripped down like the trees. But is the stripped-down sound the winter connection, bare as the trees?
Richard: The song title is actually from a French film ‘Un Couer En Hiver’ which stars Emmanuelle Beart and I remembered watching this when I was younger. In the film, it is said (and I’m paraphrasing here) that someone cannot love if their heart is permanently in Winter. I liked that and had it in mind when I wrote the lyrics. I guess the arrangement of the track reflects this too, yes!!
In the opener, “Get It Together,” it took me into the world of Zeppelin, and then the riff took me toward Status Quo! Freddie Mercury once said, “I feel a little boogie coming on.” So did you feel a bit of boogie coming on for this album (it’s there in “Out of Line” too, I think)?
Richard: Definitely! We love Slade and Status Quo, two bands who were great at boogie rock and we definitely had these bands in mind when working on these songs. That stuff is great because it’s got a groove, and we like stuff that you can move to. We recently supported Slady, the female Slade tribute band and that was our favourite show of 2024!
Guitar influences! I love certain guitar sounds, and it depends on my mood. Some I note are Hank Marvin from The Shadows (melodic innovator), BB King (THE man), Brian May (so distinctive) and Ace Frehley (just because). What do you make of my choices, and who were your inspirations musically growing up?
Richard: They are all great choices, and all very distinctive players. BB’s “Live at the Regal” remains one of the greatest live albums ever, and Ace Frehley is a personal favourite of mine; in a weird way, his playing is genius. The guitar solo on “Out of Line” was inspired by his playing on “Deuce”!! I had quite a wide selection of guitar influences growing up. I loved Bert Jansch and his acoustic fingerpicking style and I really loved Malcolm Young’s rhythm guitar playing in AC/DC. I’m not massively into extensive soloing so most of my favourite lead players keep it concise. I really like James Williamson, Tony McPhee from the Groundhogs and Alison Robertson of The Donnas.
“Time is No Healer” is medieval, a nod toward a folk sound with some blues in the mix. It sounds like a song with a backstory! If it has, can you share it?
Richard: I was trying to write some lyrics that sounded like a very old folk song in that one. There isn’t a direct story to that one; I just thought about people I know who have been eaten up by things in the past that were unfair or hurtful and never got resolved. I guess the lyrics are saying that you have to let go of that stuff and keep moving forward no matter what. That’s easier said than done but you have to try, I guess.
If someone was coming new to your band and was streaming just one song initially. Which song would you advise them to listen to that you feel best encapsulates your sound?
Richard: I would say that “Out of Line” is a good starting point as it is quite catchy, up-tempo and has a good riff on it! We’re all pretty proud of that one!
Your album, I believe, was recorded in only days?! Now I know The Beatles did their first album in one 12-hour session, but that is fast! Was the aim to capture the immediacy of a live show sound?
Richard: All of our albums have been recorded in only a few sessions; the main reason for that is finance. We’re all skint! We tend to get in there and get the songs nailed as quickly as possible so we don’t waste any studio time. But we’re a very good live band and we’re quite proud of that so yes, we do like to capture the immediacy of the live sound. On these sessions, we were very well rehearsed so we were able to get good takes quickly and then spend a bit more time on things like extra overdubs and experimenting with some different ideas, such as the use of the drum loop on “Heart In Winter.”
And…what plans can the band share with us for 2025?
Richard: Well, we are actually having a mini-break for the first part of 2025 to write and practice some more songs for a new set! We will be doing some festival appearances and back to gigging for the second half of the year, plus some studio time to record new tracks. Stay tuned 🙂

And now! On to the album review.
“Get It Together” has Zeppelin touches, with a bit of Status Quo in the riff. “No more talk of the weather here”—it’s time to get down to business! So it is a boogie rocker with a heavy riff.
“Barbara” melodic, late-sixties style rock, a bit psychedelic, like something twisted from the “White Album.” There is a lengthy instrumental leading into the song, which then lyrically sweeps into that psychedelic groove.
“A Heart in Winter”—love the title, remember—”a sad tale best for Winter” (Shakespeare in ‘Winters Tale’). A ballad, whimsical, acoustic and stripped down like the trees. All is cold here; temperature drops and yet there is a floating sense to the track.
As an aside, for the first time, the band has used guest musicians on this album. Tom Colborn lends slide playing to three tracks on the album, seasoning “Got to Leave” and “Neon Safari” with creeping Delta-blues licks and bringing floaty Hawaiian feels on “A Heart in Winter.” So that is where that floating feel came from!
“Out of Line” was the single. This was a trip into some southern rock; you need a nice bourbon and coke to listen to this one properly! It’s a good bit of rock n’boogie and the drums gain a nice heartbeat for the “ooh” that takes us into the track. It’s a fun rocker and it switches mood nicely mid-section, with a good bit of light and shade in there. Post-interview, I revisited this one and checked out that solo! Yes, there is some Ace guitar playing there!
Blue Dancer – very likeable and delivering a brash live sound. It has a seventies heavy feel to it this time. I would think this would have a heavy, brash feel when played live.
“Time is No Healer” is medieval, a nod toward a folk sound with some blues in the mix. Again, a stripped-back sound. The song takes us on the road to those lonely bars where some late-late music is being played over a whiskey.
“Burning Up” is fast and rocky. The guitars break off to some fine soloing and the drums keep the power and the vibe running along with us. It was a song in a hurry!
“Neon Safari” had a different feel about it—slow and a bit funky. It has a very different tone to the rest of the album. I saw it as a decent track, but I struggled to get into it.
“See Me Fall” reminded me of Ace Frehley vocally; it was a bit spacey generally and it leads with those little drum rolls and some slow, dark grooves.
Got to Leave” returns to some boogie rock to close the album. A solid track with some southern style and a beat you sway along to.
In summary, what we have here is some solid boogie rock with some medieval troubadour touches. There was only one track that I struggled to get into; otherwise, I was carried along with a fine listening adventure.
Standout Tracks: “Out Of Line,” “A Heart in Winter,” and “See Me Fall.”
And I hope you liked the feature and review, dear reader! If you did, please check out the other pages of the magazine; we have many great features, merchandise, and editorials and even poetry! We work hard for you, and if you want to show some appreciation and support what we do, then do use the Support Us link below and buy us a coffee for the New Year to celebrate my first feature!
You can stream music from RJ Archer and the Painful Memories here.
By Anna-Louise Burgess
