Premiere: JJ Draper Gets His Rock on in Fervent Single “Part of a Piece of This”

JJ Draper © 2020
JJ Draper © 2020
A groovy outpouring of fervent rock and soul, “Part of a Piece of This” finds the usually more muted JJ Draper unveiling himself with dynamic strength and hearty energy.
“Part of a Piece of This” – JJ Draper
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There’s a fierce heat emanating out from underneath JJ Draper’s new single. A groovy outpouring of fervent rock and soul, “Part of a Piece of This” finds the London-based singer/songwriter unveiling himself with dynamic strength and hearty energy.

Part of a Piece of This - JJ Draper
Part of a Piece of This – JJ Draper
There are no pockets in a shroud
Nothing to take to bed,
when you sleep you know you think aloud?

And they’re never gonna pull you from the crowd,
I’ve had the dreams you’ve had
and woke up crying out like..
“how can I be so unkind to you?”
“I’m trying to go to sleep, do you mind?”
I’m just a part of a piece of this – do I mean it?

Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering JJ Draper’s new single “Part of a Piece of This,” a rather quick follow-up to July’s EP release The Theft & the Flight. Usually found delivering muted ethereal and atmospheric songs, Draper has made a fast name for himself in London’s alternative and indie folk scenes over the past three years. His new song affirms his defiance of genre and disinterest in boundaries – a trait we can only hope many more artists learn from and imitate. “Part of a Piece of This” is a true upheaval – a rocking, soulful expression of our insides coming to light.

JJ Draper © 2020
JJ Draper © 2020

“I have played this track live for nearly 3 years. Always a firm favourite with audiences, I often joke that it proves to my band that I am in fact a “Rockstar” and not a mopey alternative artist. No one is convinced. It is, though, a song that sticks out for its defiant and heavy dynamic,” Draper tells Atwood Magazine. “I felt I had to put it on record as it was such an important song for me in moving on from a period of frustration and confusion. After years of what I felt was chronic mismanagement, the song is a scalding reproach of, well, everything around me and myself. The title refers to my wish to elude expectation, to contradict myself and make music I want to make in the moment.”

Are you remembered by your friends?
Will you “circle back when you
have more information to this end”?

Or are you an apparition too?
I’ve had this feeling that
I’m vanishing, I’m see-through like
“how can I be so unkind to you?”
“I’m trying to go to sleep, do you mind?”
I’m just a part of a piece of this – do I mean it?

It is at once ironic and extraordinarily fitting that “Part of a Piece of This” would, quite literally, defy any preconceived expectations of who JJ Draper is, or what he’s all about. Wielding his guitar with finesse and grace, Draper builds to and ebbs away from massive overhauls of emotion as he careens his voice up to cool falsettos, only to come back down to his gentle, tender tendor. Add in the seductive riffs and spellbinding swells, and you’ve got a striking jam folks will want to keep on repeat as the summer slowly succumbs to autumn’s chill. Whether you strut down the street to this song or dance along at home, “Part of a Piece of This” is a magnetizing listen.

Stream JJ Draper’s new song exclusively on Atwood Magazine, and be sure to dive into his The Theft & the Flight while you have the time. A deft performer and excellent songwriter, Draper is without a doubt an artist worth keeping close eyes and ears on in the months to come!

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“Part of a Piece of This” – JJ Draper
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Part of a Piece of This - JJ Draper

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