diff --git a/src/play_queue.vala b/src/play_queue.vala
index 63953ea..bdb4733 100644
--- a/src/play_queue.vala
+++ b/src/play_queue.vala
@@ -25,9 +25,10 @@ public class Wavelet.PlayQueue : Adw.NavigationPage {
     // this is the index of the song that will play on next on_stream_start
     private uint next_stream_index;
 
-    public signal void play_now (Song song);
-    public signal void now_playing (Song song);
     public signal void play_next (Song? song);
+    public signal void play_now (Song song);
+
+    public signal void now_playing (Song song);
 
     construct {
         this.songs = new ListStore (typeof (Song));
@@ -69,4 +70,20 @@ public class Wavelet.PlayQueue : Adw.NavigationPage {
         this.play_next (song);
         this.play_now (song);
     }
+
+    public void skip_forward () {
+        Song song = (Song) this.songs.get_item (this.next_stream_index);
+        this.play_now (song);
+    }
+
+    public void skip_backward () {
+        if (this.next_stream_index <= 1) {
+            this.next_stream_index = 0;
+        } else {
+            this.next_stream_index -= 2;
+        }
+        Song song = (Song) this.songs.get_item (this.next_stream_index);
+        this.play_next (song);
+        this.play_now (song);
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/playbin.vala b/src/playbin.vala
index 2d4ac46..f21d5fc 100644
--- a/src/playbin.vala
+++ b/src/playbin.vala
@@ -86,8 +86,16 @@ class Playbin : Object {
                 assert (this.playbin.query_duration (Gst.Format.TIME, out new_duration));
                 this.duration = new_duration;
 
+                string? next_uri = null;
+
                 this.next_uri_lock.lock ();
+                if (this.next_uri != this.next_uri_locked_in) {
+                    // WHOOPS! didn't actually switch to the track the play queue wanted
+                    // FIXME as it arises
+                    assert (false);
+                }
                 this.next_uri = null;
+                this.next_uri_locked_in = null;
                 this.next_uri_lock.unlock ();
                 
                 this.stream_started ();
@@ -164,6 +172,11 @@ class Playbin : Object {
             this.play_now_queued = null;
         }
 
+        // pretend this track was locked in by about-to-finish before
+        this.next_uri_lock.lock ();
+        this.next_uri_locked_in = uri;
+        this.next_uri_lock.unlock ();
+
         yield this.set_state (Gst.State.READY);
         this.playbin.uri = uri;
         yield this.set_state (Gst.State.PLAYING);
@@ -179,6 +192,7 @@ class Playbin : Object {
 
     Mutex next_uri_lock;
     string? next_uri;
+    string? next_uri_locked_in;
 
     public void set_next_uri (string? next_uri) {
         this.next_uri_lock.lock ();
@@ -191,10 +205,19 @@ class Playbin : Object {
     private void on_about_to_finish (dynamic Gst.Element playbin) {
         this.next_uri_lock.lock ();
         string? next_uri = this.next_uri;
+        this.next_uri_locked_in = next_uri;
         this.next_uri_lock.unlock ();
 
         if (next_uri != null) {
             playbin.uri = next_uri;
         }
     }
+
+    public void pause () {
+        this.playbin.set_state (Gst.State.PAUSED);
+    }
+
+    public void play () {
+        this.playbin.set_state (Gst.State.PLAYING);
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/window.blp b/src/window.blp
index a4c2197..033c544 100644
--- a/src/window.blp
+++ b/src/window.blp
@@ -177,10 +177,12 @@ template $WaveletWindow: Adw.ApplicationWindow {
       Button {
         icon-name: "media-skip-backward";
         valign: center;
+
+        clicked => $on_skip_backward_clicked ();
       }
 
       Button {
-        icon-name: "media-playback-start";
+        icon-name: bind $play_button_icon_name (template.playing) as <string>;
         valign: center;
 
         clicked => $on_play_pause_clicked ();
@@ -189,6 +191,8 @@ template $WaveletWindow: Adw.ApplicationWindow {
       Button {
         icon-name: "media-skip-forward";
         valign: center;
+
+        clicked => $on_skip_forward_clicked ();
       }
 
       Button {
diff --git a/src/window.vala b/src/window.vala
index 6057cd2..2ecf56c 100644
--- a/src/window.vala
+++ b/src/window.vala
@@ -30,6 +30,8 @@ public class Wavelet.Window : Adw.ApplicationWindow {
     [GtkChild] public unowned Adw.ButtonRow shuffle_all_tracks;
 
     [GtkChild] public unowned Gtk.Button mute;
+
+    public bool playing { get; private set; default = false; }
     
     [GtkChild] private unowned Gtk.Scale play_position;
     public int64 position { get; private set; }
@@ -74,6 +76,7 @@ public class Wavelet.Window : Adw.ApplicationWindow {
             playbin.stream_started.connect (this.play_queue.on_stream_start);
 
             this.play_queue.now_playing.connect ((song) => {
+                this.playing = true;
                 this.song = song;
             });
 
@@ -148,9 +151,6 @@ public class Wavelet.Window : Adw.ApplicationWindow {
         return "%02d:%02d".printf (s/60, s%60);
     }
 
-    [GtkCallback] private void on_play_pause_clicked () {
-    }
-
     // same timeout logic as https://code.videolan.org/videolan/npapi-vlc/blob/6eae0ffb9cbaf8f6e04423de2ff38daabdf7cae3/npapi/vlcplugin_gtk.cpp#L312
     private uint seek_timeout_id = 0;
     [GtkCallback] private bool on_play_position_seek (Gtk.Range range, Gtk.ScrollType scroll_type, double value) {
@@ -164,4 +164,26 @@ public class Wavelet.Window : Adw.ApplicationWindow {
         }
         return false;
     }
+
+    [GtkCallback] private void on_play_pause_clicked () {
+        if (this.playing) {
+            this.playbin.pause();
+            this.playing = false;
+        } else {
+            this.playbin.play();
+            this.playing = true;
+        }
+    }
+
+    [GtkCallback] private string play_button_icon_name (bool playing) {
+        return playing ? "media-playback-pause" : "media-playback-start";
+    }
+
+    [GtkCallback] private void on_skip_forward_clicked () {
+        this.play_queue.skip_forward ();
+    }
+
+    [GtkCallback] private void on_skip_backward_clicked () {
+        this.play_queue.skip_backward ();
+    }
 }