By Azzam Bilal 
HangupsMusic.com – New York, The landscape of contemporary R&B and experimental soul has long been influenced by the idiosyncratic brilliance of serpentwithfeet, the moniker of Brooklyn-based artist Josiah Wise. Known for a sound that seamlessly weaves the ecclesiastical grandeur of his gospel upbringing with the avant-garde textures of modern electronic music, Wise has spent the last decade carving out a space that is entirely his own. Now, in a move that signals both a fresh creative chapter and a strategic industry shift, serpentwithfeet has announced the upcoming release of a new EP titled Sentinel. Scheduled to arrive on December 4, the project marks his debut with One Little Independent Records, concluding a prolific and critically acclaimed ten-year tenure with Secretly Canadian.
The announcement of Sentinel comes closely on the heels of his 2024 full-length album, GRIP, a record that delved into the tactile, physical realities of Black queer nightlife and the intimate mechanics of the dance floor. Where GRIP was characterized by its thumping rhythms and sweaty, club-adjacent energy, the early glimpses of Sentinel suggest a turn toward something more contemplative, intellectual, and perhaps even more spiritually complex. The title track, which is available for streaming now, serves as a bridge between Wise’s past and his future, blending the maritime tradition of sea shanties with the devotional weight of the African American church.
The lead single, "Sentinel," is described as a reverent love song, but it is one that functions on multiple levels. Musically, it draws from the rhythmic, communal structures of sea shanties—songs historically used by sailors to coordinate heavy labor in isolated, male-dominated environments. By filtering these structures through his distinct gospel-inflected vocal delivery, serpentwithfeet creates a sonic environment that feels both ancient and radically modern. The track’s production emphasizes a sense of space and duty, mirroring the watchful, protective nature of the title itself.
In a detailed statement accompanying the announcement, Wise provided profound insight into the intellectual framework that birthed the EP. He revealed that during the writing process, he was deeply preoccupied with the concepts of homoeroticism and the specific ways in which men socialize when they are removed from broader society. This focus led him to a broader interrogation of patriarchy—not just as a system of external oppression, but as an internal map of behavior and identity.
"I started thinking about patriarchy," Wise explained. "One of the ways it’s sustained is because men instinctively know their role. Whether you’re the alpha or the beta, whatever those words mean, you know where you fit on the rung. Another grown man is willing to genuflect, to yield responsibility or become a little less autonomous because somebody else carries more power or privilege. For me, that feels like religion. It made me wonder what happens when we experience that erotically."
This fascination with the "religion" of social hierarchy is a recurring theme in Wise’s work. Since his 2016 debut EP blisters, he has consistently explored the intersections of the sacred and the profane, often using the language of the church to describe the ecstasies and agonies of romantic obsession. In Sentinel, however, the focus seems to shift from the individual beloved to the broader structures of power that govern male interaction. By framing the yielding of autonomy as an erotic act, Wise challenges traditional critiques of patriarchy, instead looking at the psychological comfort and desire found within its rigid "rungs."
The EP consists of seven tracks, including a collaboration with the acclaimed producer and DJ TYGAPAW on the final song, "Puckish." The inclusion of TYGAPAW suggests that while the EP may be rooted in sea shanties and gospel, it will likely incorporate the sharp, industrial edges of techno and ballroom culture that TYGAPAW is known for. The tracklist also includes titles such as "Henchmen," "Invocation," and "Of Course, Daddy," all of which point toward a continued exploration of service, power dynamics, and the ritualistic nature of devotion.
The move to One Little Independent Records—a label that has been home to iconic experimentalists like Björk—seems a fitting home for an artist of Wise’s caliber. His decade at Secretly Canadian saw him rise from a niche experimentalist to a globally recognized voice, with albums like soil and DEACON garnering universal acclaim for their lyrical bravery and sonic innovation. soil was a jagged, visceral exploration of grief and longing, while DEACON saw Wise embracing a softer, more domestic palette, celebrating the quiet joys of Black queer love. Sentinel appears to be a synthesis of these eras, combining the intellectual rigor of his early work with the refined melodic sensibilities he has developed over the years.
The choice of the sea shanty as a creative touchstone for "Sentinel" is particularly evocative. Historically, shanties were functional; they were tools for survival and coordination. By applying this to a "reverent love song," Wise suggests that love and social positioning are also forms of labor and survival. In the context of "homoeroticism in isolation," the shanty represents a world where the presence of the feminine is absent, forcing a re-evaluation of how masculinity is performed and distributed among men. This "isolation" can be read literally—as in the case of sailors at sea—or metaphorically, referring to the subcultures and private spaces where queer men build their own social orders.
The tracklist for Sentinel is as follows:
- Sentinel
- Henchmen
- Invocation
- His student
- Of Course, Daddy
- Sentinel (Reprise/Alternative version)
- Puckish ft. TYGAPAW
The repetition of the title track "Sentinel" within the seven-song set suggests a thematic bookending, perhaps offering two different perspectives on the same concept of watchfulness and hierarchy. "His student" and "Of Course, Daddy" lean further into the teacher-pupil or dominant-submissive dynamics that Wise touched upon in his statement regarding the "alpha and beta" roles. These titles suggest a fearless engagement with the aesthetics of submission, treating the act of "genuflecting" to another man not as a loss of self, but as a religious and erotic transformation.
For fans of serpentwithfeet, Sentinel represents a prolific period of output. Releasing an EP of this conceptual depth less than a year after a full-length album indicates an artist in the midst of a creative surge. Wise has always been a songwriter who prioritizes the "why" behind the music, and Sentinel seems to be one of his most philosophically dense offerings to date. He is not merely singing about love; he is dissecting the social architecture that allows love—and lust—to function.
As the music industry continues to grapple with the boundaries between genres, serpentwithfeet remains an unclassifiable figure. He is a classically trained vocalist who finds beauty in the "puckish" sounds of the club; he is a gospel singer who finds God in the erotic hierarchies of man. With Sentinel, he invites his audience to look past the surface of social roles and see the spiritual and sexual currents that run beneath them.
The EP’s arrival on December 4 will likely be met with significant critical attention, as it marks the first major release for Wise under his new partnership with One Little Independent. As he navigates this transition, the artist continues to prove that his most powerful tool is his ability to find the sacred in the most unexpected places—whether that be the hull of a ship, the pews of a church, or the complex power play between two people. "Sentinel" is out now, providing a haunting, rhythmic introduction to this next chapter of his storied career.
