‘Can’t Be My Girl’ comes from London-based newcomer Piers James. He first turned heads on a major scale after being chosen to open for Ed Sheeran in his native Ipswich in 2019, and has continued to impress with a selection of releases that juxtapose seriousness with a tongue-in-cheek feel. He explains that the track comes from the idea of “his superficial world that we live in nowadays, both men and women get so wrapped up in the how-to-be, what we should wear & what we should act like. Women get it a lot harder than men, this track is my response to that, it’s what’s on the inside that we find the most attractive”. He blends jazz and hip-hop influences into something completely his own, both modern and nostalgic. His production has been likened to Anderson .Paak and his ability to mix addictive beats with storytelling is genuinely impressive. Be sure to check out his new project, A Dying Breed. - Dan Peeke