Born in Ipswich but now based in London, emerging rapper Piers James has been steadily adding to a growing collection of releases that combine a laid-back delivery with thoughtful lyricism and tastefully-executed production. We've seen it countless times before (2017's "Lost Ones", in particular, demonstrated a maturity far beyond his years) and with today's offering, "Can't Be My Girl", he turns his attention to something that's been chipping away at the emotional wellbeing of us all.
Like much of the two-part A Dying Breed EP that this will appear on (due July 24), "Can't Be My Girl" is a self-produced cut that centers around a mellow guitar lick and a gently bumping rhythm. Setting that as his backdrop, James takes a playful approach to puncturing what he sees as a superficial world and the detrimental effect it has on us all. Rather than come off as preachy, James instead delivers his message of self-assurance and positivity in a wry and charming way that's impossible to argue with.
Speaking with Complex via email, James told us, "I originally wrote this track about the superficial world that we live in nowadays, both men and women get so wrapped up in the how-to-be, what we should wear and what we should act like. Women predominately get it a lot harder than men but in light of the current social climate it's made me reflect further that this isn't simply a gender bias. We all need to be more human in the way we perceive ourselves, other people and other cultures — it's what’s on the inside that counts."
