Autistic Melbourne songwriter, voice actor and comic Jeremy Hopkins, aka Jimmy from Thornbury, releases his self-titled debut album.

The album is a satirical response to the contradictions and challenges in the music industry and modern world. It tackles topics such as the rise of digital streaming, toxic masculinity, white privilege, and the abhorrent use of distortion on acoustic guitar in roots music.

The project is inspired by the satirical music of TISM, the DC3 and the Bedroom Philosopher. However for Jimmy, each song is in a different musical genre, often extending to parodying the music itself.

Jimmy from Thornbury is a project reflecting Jeremy’s multiple roles in the entertainment industry. After a childhood spent acting on TV shows including Pig’s Breakfast and Blue Heelers, Jeremy went on to study jazz drumming at the VCA. He later worked in cabaret and comedy circles (with artists such as Bob Downe, Alan Carr and Damien Cowell’s the DC3) and played with bands across a huge array of genres including The Little Stevies, Circus Oz, Whitaker and Gossling. He became a sought after voice-over artist, with an ability to mimic others (as can be heard in his rendition of Richard Kingsmill on the album).

These experiences enabled Jeremy to quietly observe many facets of the industry, and the quirks hidden within various music scenes. Over the past few years Jeremy has fully discovered his autistic/ADHD identity, explaining both his diversity of talents, but also the feeling of being an ‘outsider looking in’.

Says Jeremy of his project:

“Everything about this album is shaped by my neurodiversity. It’s a musical seashell that you can place on your ear and hear what the world sounds like to me. The torrential amount of content coming at the listener reflects the bombardment of sensory information I receive daily.

“I think because I’m autistic I don’t see music from the same perspective as others. I watch and listen to other musicians and I’m left confused. Why are you so sad, even though nothing bad has actually happened to you? Why do you sound so angry? Why aren’t there any love songs for polyamorous people? Why does dubstep increasingly sound like getting your car serviced?”

The album’s biting satire is balanced by quality song-writing and production, underscoring a deep respect for the genres in Jeremy’s headlights. Jimmy from Thornbury walks a delicate line between music and comedy, and helps us consider and laugh about some of the music industry’s long-standing issues and stereotypes.