On GRIP, R&B and electronic songwriter serpentwithfeet aims to draw a throughline between club and bedroom. The Baltimore-born songwriter combined the intimacy, community, and catharsis that existed in both spaces, building a sonic template inspired by early 2000s rap and R&B production to create that cohesion.
Serpent’s 2021 LP DEACON was full of ballads—odes to love and lost love—but the songs here are even more sexy and personal. GRIP is made of reflection, not memory. Deeply personal yet infinitely attractive, Serpentwithfeet demonstrates an ingenious ability to make public spaces seem like whispers between lovers, a shared secret embraced by everyone.
Although the album doesn’t have the same electronic overtones as past Serpentwithfeet albums, the songwriter (aka Josiah Wise) kicks off the album with a club-friendly song. “Damn Gloves” stars Ty Dolla $ign and Yanga Yaya and emphasizes the more sexual aspects of the album. “Kiss you longer, longer than the opera,” Snake sings, before adding: “I don’t need weed/I don’t need booze/I just wanna keep grinding my n-gga.”
The album is almost divided into moments of love and lust, with Wise moving back and forth between what he wants. In this sense, the album’s two locations – the club and the bedroom – are almost opposites. On the one hand, ecstasy and hedonism dominate; on the other, deep connections and complex emotions come to the fore.
“Spades” sounds like a song featured on a mid-2000s Justin Timberlake album; the drums have Timbaland’s signature percussion. In the clip, Snake croons: “Loved you since I was 17/I’m not ashamed that these feelings won’t go away.” Those feelings turned into gratitude, with the singer adding: “So happy to be living Didn’t turn you to stone / Got a new zip code / But boy, you still feel like home.”
Elsewhere, “Snake Feet” trades these intimate memories for delightful narrative-driven slice-of-life moments. On the Mick Jenkins-assisted “Black Air Force,” he channels another early 2000s R&B beat, addressing an anonymous friend, lover, or just anyone looking for positive affirmation Make a lot of fun. “Put everybody in your pocket/I hope you score a goal/If your spirit doesn’t, you ain’t broke/Pants may get ripped, but your heart won’t,” he spits.
Whether singing to a loved one in trouble or to a fan three thousand miles away, everyone deserves a champion like serpentwithfeet. On “GRIP,” the singer-songwriter has a burning desire to be loved, but equally evident is his ability to give love. It’s an album of romance and sex, but overall it’s a symphony of emotions and feelings. Snakefoot has an unbridled lust for love, however, he wants to be celebrated rather than judged for these desires.
Release date: February 16, 2024
Record label: Secret Canada
Listen to the GRIP below:
