Sophomore Slump.
Serpentwithfeet's debut album 'soil' was quite a fascinating project, the production might be spare but it allows serpentwithfeet's passionate and quivering vocals to rise through, paired with poetry that dips into emotional and complex queer love as well as slow-burning yet captivating melodies. It sure is quite an entity, no wonder that he managed to nab a verse on another version of 'blissing me' by Bjork.
I was initially hyped with this album, considering that it's such a refreshing project that I was curious about what route he will take next on this album. But once I've heard the singles, let's say that I was just hoping that the album cuts are a bit better...
And I was quite wrong. Because on all fronts, this album is a stilted ride from front to back, not reaching the heights that made 'soil' so good. Where it seems like this album wants to expand from 'soil' on its sound and writing, but just comes off as flat and quite a mess.
From the production and instrumental standpoint, this is indeed the more accessible album that serpentwithfeet has ever done, with trap percussion and spare acoustic tones filled with reverb to accentuate this idyllic atmosphere. But this is where it starts to fall apart because it comes in 3 ways. Either coming from filters attached to the vocals, the instrumental coming off underweight or tones not blending well with the song, or serpentwithfeet's odd vocal deliveries thrown in the mix. And it's all over the place, from the warbled, blown out filter on the chorus of 'Hyacinth', 'Wood Boy', and 'Heart Storm', the jaunty piano tone that just doesn't work well on 'Malik', the underwhelming beats of 'Amir', 'Old & Fine', and 'Wood Boy', and the obnoxious vocal tones that made 'Same Size Shoe' a mess to go through. It does not help that melodies in these songs become more fragmented and quite choppy, although the second half does come a bit more structured. And yes, there are a few standouts in this album like 'Fellowship' with the tropical percussion that does fit with the vibe, 'Sailor's Superstition' with a nice groove on the beat even if the producer tagline on the intro just comes off as odd, and 'Derrick's Beard' has a very nice piano line and multitracking over it. But it does not save just how many flubs the production, instrumentation, and melodies have here.
And I think that the lyrics also took a nosedive here as well. While it is definitely more upbeat, it doesn't have the detail that made the poetry of 'soil' so captivating and alluring, what we get here has nothing of an arc and allures itself with the meetings the protagonist has with these men. Again, it's more idyllic this time around, but even then the writing just does not convey that well, and it just comes off as a bit lost.
Overall, if there is an album this year that I would point out as a huge disappointment, it's this one. It might be accessible and it did what it's trying to do, but as a complete package, it just falls apart so easily.
Favorite Tracks: Fellowship, Derrick's Beard
Least Favorite Tracks: Same Size Shoe, Heart Storm