Deacon
Studio album by
Serpentwithfeet
ReleasedMarch 26, 2021 (2021-03-26)
GenreR&B[1]
Length29:09
LabelSecretly Canadian
Producer
Serpentwithfeet chronology
Apparition
(2020)		 Deacon
(2021)		 Deacon's Grove
(2021)
Singles from Deacon
  1. "Fellowship"
    Released: January 25, 2021[2]
  2. "Same Size Shoe"
    Released: February 17, 2021[3]
  3. "Heart Storm"
    Released: March 23, 2021[4]

Deacon (stylized in all caps) is the second studio album by American singer and songwriter Serpentwithfeet. It was released on March 26, 2021, by Secretly Canadian.[5]

Background and release

A year after the release of Serpentwithfeet's debut studio album Soil (2018), he released a single titled "Receipts" with singer and rapper Ty Dolla Sign.[6] They further worked on the latter's album Featuring Ty Dolla Sign (2020), with the single "Ego Death" along with rapper Kanye West, singer-songwriter FKA Twigs, and record producer Skrillex.[7] Serpentwithfeet also contributed his vocals on "Serpentwithfeet Interlude" on the same album.[8] On the same year, he released an extended play titled Apparition on April 30.[9]

On January 25, 2021, Serpentwithfeet announced the release date of the album alongside the single "Fellowship", co-produced by musicians Sampha and Lil Silva.[2] He released the second single titled "Same Size Shoe" on February 17, 2021.[3] Three days prior to the album release, he released the third single, "Heart Storm", a collaboration with singer Nao.[4]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.0/10[10]
Metacritic86/100[11]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[12]
Clash[1]9/10
Consequence of Sound[13]A−
The Independent[14]
NME[15]
Pitchfork[16]7.7/10
Rolling Stone[17]

Deacon received rave reviews from contemporary music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 from reviews from mainstream critics, the album received a score of 86, based on 15 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[11] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 8.0 out of 21, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[10]

Rachel Brodsky of The Independent gave the album a perfect score and described it as a "a stunning celebration of black, gay love. [...] It is also a groundbreaking proclamation of personal acceptance."[14] Laura Dzubay at Consequence of Sound gave the album an A−, described it as a "bountiful collage of love and care."[13] Shahzaib Hussain of Clash gave it 9 out of 10, deemed it as an "early contender for Album of the Year" then described Deacon as a "triumph". He further stated that "it realizes and relives love's quiet, archived moments, be it romantic or spiritual."[1] Ross Horton of The Line of Best Fit called it "blood-red" and "heart-bursting", further stated that it is "quite clearly, a complex, rich and elegant collection that points at one very simple truth: love is central to a life well lived."[18] Heather Phares of AllMusic compared the album to Serpentwithfeet's previous releases and called it more "soothing and fulfilling". Phares stated that Serpentwithfeet "transforms into a beautiful, fully realized work of art for his audience to savor."[12] El Hunt of NME gave it a four out of five stars and called it "a meticulous excavation of heartbreak".[15] Ben Tipple of DIY gave the album four out of five stars and called the album "looks for hope in love, much like in the spirituality that birthed it."[19] Claire Shaffer of Rolling Stone gave the album four out of five stars and praised the "cheekiness and humor" of it. Shaffer described the album as a "party record for people partying alone in their living room."[17] Adlan Jackson at Pitchfork rated the album 7.7 out of 10, saying that the album "could use a few more awe-inspiring moments, but by celebrating simplicity, it enshrines the Black, queer love at its center as something blessedly uncomplicated and precious."[16]

In June 2021, Billboard named the album among the best 15 albums released by LGBTQ artists so far in 2021.[20]

Accolades

Deacon on year-end lists
Publication List Rank Ref.
Paste The 50 Best Albums of 2021
14

Track listing

All tracks are written by Josiah Wise, except where noted

Deacon[22]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Hyacinth" 
3:19
2."Same Size Shoe" 
  • Brandon Juhans
  • serpentwithfeet
  • Batu
3:30
3."Malik" 
  • Juhans
  • serpentwithfeet
1:24
4."Amir"
2:56
5."Dawn" serpentwithfeet0:33
6."Sailors' Superstition"
Take a Daytrip2:56
7."Heart Storm" (with Nao)
  • serpentwithfeet
  • West
3:13
8."Wood Boy"
  • Wise
  • Carter
  • Sisay
  • serpentwithfeet
  • Lil Silva
  • Sampha
2:44
9."Derrick's Beard" serpentwithfeet1:38
10."Old & Fine" 
  • Juhans
  • serpentwithfeet
  • Batu
3:13
11."Fellowship"
  • Wise
  • Carter
  • Sisay
  • serpentwithfeet
  • Lil Silva
  • Sampha
3:39
Total length:29:09

References

  1. 1 2 3 Hussain, Shahzaib (March 24, 2021). "serpentwithfeet - Deacon | Reviews". Clash. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  2. 1 2 Shaffer, Claire (January 25, 2021). "Serpentwithfeet Announces New Album, Drops 'Fellowship' Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  3. 1 2 Minsker, Evan (February 17, 2021). "serpentwithfeet Shares New Song "Same Size Shoe": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  4. 1 2 Rose, Anna (March 23, 2021). "Serpentwithfeet collaborates with NAO on new single 'Heart Storm'". NME. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  5. ↑ Ruiz, Matthew Ismael (January 25, 2021). "serpentwithfeet Announces New Album Deacon, Shares Video for New Song "Fellowship": Watch". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  6. ↑ Deville, Chris (June 26, 2019). "Ty Dolla Sign Joins serpentwithfeet On "Receipts"". Stereogum. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  7. ↑ Minsker, Evan (July 1, 2020). "Ty Dolla $ign Shares "Ego Death," New Song With Kanye West, FKA twigs, Skrillex, and serpentwithfeet: Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  8. ↑ Moore, Sam (October 21, 2020). "Ty Dolla $ign's new album features Kanye West, Nicki Minaj, Post Malone and many more". NME. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  9. ↑ Burney, Lawrence (April 30, 2020). "serpentwithfeet on the emotional work that went into his Apparition EP". The Fader. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  10. 1 2 "Deacon by serpentwithfeet reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  11. 1 2 "Deacon by serpentwithfeet Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  12. 1 2 Phares, Heather. "Deacon - serpentwithfeet". AllMusic. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  13. 1 2 Dzubay, Laura (March 26, 2021). "Artist of the Month serpentwithfeet's DEACON Is a Bountiful Collage of Love and Care: Review". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  14. 1 2 Brodsky, Rachel (March 26, 2021). "Album reviews: Ben Howard, serpentwithfeet and For Those I Love". The Independent. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  15. 1 2 Hunt, El (March 24, 2021). "Serpentwithfeet – 'Deacon' review: a meticulous excavation of heartbreak". NME. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  16. 1 2 Jackson, Adlan (March 29, 2021). "Serpentwithfeet: Deacon". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  17. 1 2 Shaffer, Claire (March 29, 2021). "Serpentwithfeet's 'Deacon' Is All About Lush Textures and Laid-Back Domesticity". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  18. ↑ Horton, Ross (March 22, 2021). "Serpentwithfeet - Deacon". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  19. ↑ Tipple, Ben (March 25, 2021). "serpentwithfeet - Deacon". DIY. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  20. ↑ "15 Best Albums By LGBTQ Artists of 2021 (So Far): Staff Picks". Billboard. 27 June 2021. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  21. ↑ "The 50 Best Albums of 2021". Paste. 29 November 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  22. ↑ "Deacon by serpentwithfeet on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
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