serpentwithfeet Announces New Album DEACON, Shares Heartfelt Lead Single “Fellowship”

The second album from Baltimore-raised, Los Angeles-based artist serpentwithfeet is on its way: The details of DEACON, out March 26 on Secretly Canadian, arrived Monday alongside lead single/video “Fellowship.” The tender and contemplative track features Sampha and Lil Silva, who co-wrote and -produced it alongside serpentwithfeet.

DEACON is serpentwithfeet’s sophomore album, following his 2018 debut soil. “With DEACON, serpent is not only imagining but exploring a world wherein Black love is paramount. It’s a study rather than a story delving into Black, gay love and the tenderness present in the best companionships, romantic or otherwise,” a press release explains, later adding, “DEACON allows compassion to be the backbone of serpent’s art as he communes with his most loving self.”

The album’s closer, “Fellowship” is awfully loving, indeed: It opens with meditative tones and tapped percussion, building gradually as serpentwithfeet sweetly invokes “breezy Sunday afternoons / [and] Christmas films in July with you” in a goosebump-worthy falsetto. You can hear the genuine gratitude in his voice as he, Sampha and Lil Silva sing, “I’m so thankful for my friends, my friends / I’m thankful for the love I share with my friends.” The beat swells and deepens as the song progresses, like a strong friendship’s roots digging ever deeper into the earth.

“I dedicate ‘Fellowship’ to anyone who has had a good friend or been a good friend,” says serpentwithfeet in a statement. The artist adds of his Christian official-inspired album title, “I wanted to create something that felt calm and restrained. This was my way of tapping into the energy many deacons possess.”

Watch the “Fellowship” video (dir. Kordae Jatafa Henry) below and see the details of DEACON further down.

DEACON Tracklist:
01. Hyacinth
02. Same Size Shoe
03. Malik
04. Amir
05. Dawn
06. Sailors’ Superstition
07. Heart Storm (Feat. NAO)
08. Wood Boy
09. Derrick’s Beard
10. Old & Fine
11. Fellowship

DEACON Album Art: