Beachin

In 2021, Piri released two solo singles, "It's a Match" and "Soft Spot", both of which were produced by Tommy Villiers.[1] The latter went viral on TikTok and Spotify, prompting EMI to sign the pair, and re-release "Soft Spot"[2] under the name "Piri & Tommy Villiers".[3] "Beachin", their follow up, was released on 28 January 2022, as "Piri & Tommy", with Skream providing the official remix.[1] The song was originally intended for late October, but was delayed due to the success of "Soft Spot",[4] which also meant the pair were nervous to release "Beachin"; Piri told Dork in July 2022 that Villiers suffered from "impostor syndrome" before release.[5]

It was written after a trip to Formby beach in Liverpool,[4] and Piri's lyrics were an attempt at encapsulating how much they enjoyed the trip and how close they felt afterwards. The song was Villiers's attempt at making a jungle track, which he later annotated with what he described as "some Isley Brothers type of tones", and which ends with a spoken word section, from a video of the trip,[4] which discusses the creation of sand sculptures.[6]

Piri promoted the song by releasing videos to TikTok with the song playing in the background, resulting in several other videos using the song, which prompted the creation of a corresponding dance.[7] The song was first played on Unity Radio on Jasper Hopkins' Breakfast show.[4]

On 31 January 2022, BBC Radio 1 announced it as that day's "Hottest Record".[8] Notion described the song as a "sugary-sweet slice of escapism",[9] while LeftLion - reviewing a November 2022 concert by the pair - described it as a "summery anthem [which] instantly invited [the crowd] to return to that wildly missed festival feeling that the pair entirely capture within their work".[10] Clash described the song as a "divine pop moment" and a "delicious return soaked in trop-pop textures", and noted that the song's "addictive guitar line unfolds over those head-rush beats, with piri's voice moving from sighing refrain to effects-laden spoken word".[6] In addition, AllMusic complimented the song's "appl[ication of] atmospheric guitars to deep, rolling grooves"[11] and described Skream's remix as "abstract".[12]

Matthew Perpetua used his Fluxblog to describe "Beachin" as "extremely mellow at a high tempo" and "a dreamy moonlit ballad set to beats that sound like they’ve been yanked from a Roni Size record from the late 90s", noted that Villiers' production was "rich with details but feels a lot more breezy than busy, judiciously doling out bass notes and never lets the vibey atmosphere of the lead guitar or keyboard washes thicken into a dense fog", and noted that "Piri sings with very modern English R&B inflections – a lot of restraint and no showy runs, but with an elegant soulfulness in smaller moments", and "fits perfectly in Villiers’ track, matching the tone for the most low-key parts while adding a boldness when the bass and breakbeats really hit".[13] A slightly more lukewarm review, however, came from The Soundboard Stereo, who described the rest of froge.mp3 as "generally likable as background music […] outside of some detail on beachin that a sound like this is not in any way equipped to convey (for example: “I got him bussin’, he makin’ some mayo”)."[14]

On 28 September 2022, the pair performed "On & On", "Beachin", and a cover of Crystal Waters' Gypsy Woman at a BBC Radio 1 session,[15] and on 21 October 2022, the song appeared on Piri & Tommy's mixtape, Froge.mp3.[1] On 12 January 2023, Piri & Tommy performed the song on Radio 1's Sound Of...,[16] and on 27 May 2023, Piri performed the song at Radio 1 Big Weekend.[17]

Digital single[1]

1. "Beachin" (Piri & Tommy) – 3:14

Skream remix[1]

1. "Beachin" (Skream Remix) – 3:46
2. "Beachin" (Piri & Tommy) – 3:14

• Piri – vocals[18]
• Tommy Villiers – production, mastering[18]
• Jonny Breakwell – mixing[18]