Deacon (album)

2021 studio album by Serpentwithfeet

Deacon

Studio album by

Serpentwithfeet

Released| March 26, 2021 (2021-03-26)
Genre| R&B[1]
Length| 29:09
Label| Secretly Canadian
Producer|

* Serpentwithfeet
* Batu
* Brandon Juhans
* Lil Silva
* Sampha
* Take a Daytrip
* Justus West

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

Professional ratingsAggregate scores

Source| Rating
AnyDecentMusic?| 8.0/10[10]
Metacritic| 86/100[11]
Review scores
Source| Rating
AllMusic| [12]
Clash| 9/10[1]
Consequence of Sound| A−[13]
DIY| [14]
Entertainment Weekly| A−[15]
The Independent| [16]
NME| [17]
The Observer| [18]
Pitchfork| 7.7/10[19]
Rolling Stone| [20]

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."[16] 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."[21] 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".[17] 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."[22] 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."[20] 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."[19]

In June 2021, Billboard named the album among the best 15 albums released by LGBTQ artists so far in 2021.[23]

### Accolades

[edit]

Deacon on year-end lists  Publication  | List  | Rank  | Ref.

|
|
|

Paste | The 50 Best Albums of 2021  |

[24]

## Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written by Josiah Wise, except where noted.

Deacon track listingNo.| Title| Writer(s)| Producer(s)| Length

|
|
|
|

1.| "Hyacinth"|  |

* serpentwithfeet
* Justus West
* Batu

| 3:19
2.| "Same Size Shoe"|  |

* Brandon Juhans
* serpentwithfeet
* Batu

| 3:30
3.| "Malik"|  |

* Juhans
* serpentwithfeet

| 1:24
4.| "Amir"|

* Wise
* Tyrone Jermaine "TJ" Carter
* Sampha Sisay

* serpentwithfeet
* Lil Silva
* Sampha

| 2:56
5.| "Dawn"|  | serpentwithfeet| 0:33
6.| "Sailors' Superstition"|

* Wise
* Denzel Baptiste
* David Biral

| Take a Daytrip| 2:56
7.| "Heart Storm" (with Nao)|

* Wise
* Neo Jessica Joshua

* serpentwithfeet
* West

| 3:13
8.| "Wood Boy"|

* Wise
* Carter
* Sisay

* serpentwithfeet
* Lil Silva
* Sampha

| 2:44
9.| "Derrick's Beard"|  | serpentwithfeet| 1:38
10.| "Old & Fine"|  |

* Juhans
* serpentwithfeet
* Batu

| 3:13
11.| "Fellowship"|

* Wise
* Carter
* Sisay

* serpentwithfeet
* Lil Silva
* Sampha

| 3:39
Total length:| 29:09

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c Hussain, Shahzaib (March 24, 2021). "serpentwithfeet - Deacon | Reviews". Clash. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
2. ^ a b Shaffer, Claire (January 25, 2021). "Serpentwithfeet Announces New Album, Drops 'Fellowship' Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
3. ^ a b Minsker, Evan (February 17, 2021). "serpentwithfeet Shares New Song "Same Size Shoe": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
4. ^ a b 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. ^ a b "Deacon by serpentwithfeet reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
11. ^ a b "Deacon by serpentwithfeet Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
12. ^ a b Phares, Heather. "Deacon - serpentwithfeet". AllMusic. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
13. ^ a b 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. ^ "serpentwithfeet - Deacon". DIY. March 25, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
15. ^ Hughes, Hilary (March 26, 2021). "serpentwithfeet's Deacon is a celebration of deep connection". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
16. ^ a b Brodsky, Rachel (March 26, 2021). "Album reviews: Ben Howard, serpentwithfeet and For Those I Love". The Independent. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
17. ^ a b Hunt, El (March 24, 2021). "Serpentwithfeet – 'Deacon' review: a meticulous excavation of heartbreak". NME. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
18. ^ Empire, Kitty (March 27, 2021). "Serpentwithfeet: Deacon review – a swoon in the Californian sun". The Observer. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
19. ^ a b Jackson, Adlan (March 29, 2021). "Serpentwithfeet: Deacon". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
20. ^ a b Shaffer, Claire (March 29, 2021). "Serpentwithfeet's 'Deacon' Is All About Lush Textures and Laid-Back Domesticity". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
21. ^ Horton, Ross (March 22, 2021). "Serpentwithfeet - Deacon". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
22. ^ Tipple, Ben (March 25, 2021). "serpentwithfeet - Deacon". DIY. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
23. ^ "15 Best Albums By LGBTQ Artists of 2021 (So Far): Staff Picks". Billboard. June 27, 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
24. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2021". Paste. November 29, 2021. Retrieved November 30, 2021.

*[Ref.]: Reference
*[No.]: Number