"[1] The song borrows a guitar riff sampled from "Brothers Gonna Work It Out" in the production,[1] while the lyrics revolve around receiving sexual consent.

[2][3][4] Ro James' voice reaches a "raspy, scratchy" falsetto, before returning to "weighty" mid-tones.

[3] Regarding the impact of the song, James stated: I think "Permission" connected because it bridges the gap from old school people who appreciate Willie Hutch and the movie The Mack and those people who've heard it before, and soul, feeling and emotion, then it connects to the youth in the sense of that bass, that knock, that high hat and that ride.

[3]Elias Leight of Rolling Stone gave a positive review, commenting "When the guitar is paired with a simple beat, the spark is immediate.

It follows Ro James and his girlfriend riding through Los Angeles[4] and spending an evening in Hollywood Hills.