Album Review | ‘GRIP’ by serpentwithfeet
Josiah energizes listeners with club grooves and rich R&B soundscapes in this ode to physical intimacy.
serpentwithfeet, born Josiah Wise, has honed his craft since his debut in 2016. His prior album, DEACON, drenched listeners in a mix of atmospheric soul and comforting affection that doesn’t shy away from the beauty of love between two men. Wise has remained a beacon that other queer black/POC audiences can gravitate toward for music that celebrates their experience.
His follow-up album, GRIP, reaches more into the realms of sexual desire. In conversation with DIY magazine, Josiah brought us into how the beauty of physical intimacy inspired this album:
“I was thinking about the wonder of physical closeness, and somebody who you care about and who cares about you knowing how to touch you… It’s beautiful when we know the curves and contours of each other’s bodies; we know what things make us ticklish or what things arouse us, or what things soothe us after a difficult day. I wanted to make a project that rhapsodises about that.” — Josiah Wise via DIY Magazine (2024)
We kick off the record dripping with desire on “Damn Gloves.” Joining Wise is Los Angeles-native rapper/producer Ty Dolla $ign and South African neo-soul artist Yanga YaYa. Josiah invokes the bumping beat of the club as its darker alt-R&B backing radiates a ruby glow over the crowd. His words ache with the tension of wanting to take this hot and heavy grinding to the bedroom, “Hold you closer, closer than those damn gloves/ Kiss you longer, longer than a opera/ If we keep on dancin’, we gon’ make love/ Hold you closer, closer than those damn gloves/ I don’t need no weed, I don’t need no liquor/ I just wanna keep grind-grindin’ on my n***a/ Whatever’s on his leg, good God, it’s gettin’ thicker.” Ty Dolla $ign’s contribution feels right at home alongside the hazy production. I also love Yanga’s voice’s hypnotic tone in the song’s bridge.
Josiah deepens the sexual urges on “Safe Word.” Between the neon glow cast over Wise’s autotuned vocals pours the sensual flavors of Spanish guitar, adding to the erotic atmosphere.
You are placed in the middle of throws of his most carnal desires surrounding his lover, “Choke me now, fuck me now/ Upload that dick into the cloud (Ooh)/ I’m insatiable, make it conversational/ Oh, I heard it’s gonna rain cats and dogs/ Oh, by the way, my n***a’s carryin’ a log.”
At the same point in time, we are given space to feel safe as Wise lets us know we are sheltered from the world around us while tangled up in his arms. I appreciate the air of tenderness that gives depth to the intimacy being conjured up here.
“Spades” relishes in the intimate emotional ties that place this man in high regard in his mind. Accompanying Josiah’s creamy vocals are silky ribbons of synths and a chill trap beat that brings to mind the familiarity of a house party between family and friends. Wise gushes over how engrained this man has become in his life, “Aunt Jeanine still calls you her nephew/ Said if I let you go, I’m a fool/ ’Cause you’re the only one patient enough to teach me spades/ They don’t make men like that no more, he deserves to stay/ Stay (Stay, oh)/ You still satisfy my appetite.” Hearing him describe how these moments make this man that much more special brings a smile to my face.
Wise seeks to nurture the budding embers developed from a casual fling in “Deep End.” I love how Josiah’s vocals peek through the slow groove like an intimate conversation. The seeds from this one-night stand have taken root that Wise doesn’t want to ignore or overindulge in for fear of killing off what has sprouted, “It’s the sixth night of our one-night stand/ Should we dismiss the feels or make a plan?/ What will people say, what will people say/ When they find out that you gave me a nickname?/ But they can’t hear the morning chorale coming from the cast iron/ They can’t see the way the sparks been flyin’/ After we make love, after we fuck/ I don’t wanna make a mess, I don’t wanna move too fast/ But let’s not avoid the deep еnd.” I quite enjoy the production on this track. I get the same soothing, invigorating feeling from these tracks as from many Kelela songs.
“Rum/Throwback” is a two-part track. The first half, “Rum,” is perfumed with the divine sounds satin rush of synths that feel sumptuous against Wise’s vocal harmonies. This is broken up by an intermission that rips us from the fantasy as the DJ sets the pace for the second half. The closing half snaps Josiah back into reality as he realizes this man is someone more special than the rest, “You’re still that sweet person I always knew/ Still the funny person I always knew/ Even when I changed my phone number twelve times that year/ You’ve been there (Oh)/ Oh, you’ll never hear me say I love you to death, death/ Oh, you give me so much life, damn, I’m blessed, blessed.” This duality is done in an extremely clever manner. Each groove gives something new for the listener to melt into.
Josiah uplifts his lover as they weather a rough patch in “Black Air Force.” Alongside Wise is Chicago-based rapper Mick Jenkins who lends his skills as an MC on the song’s third version. This track has the smooth flavors of whiskey with the energetic fizz of a hip-hop beat to mellow the bite. We’re reminded that regardless of how bad things may get, we’ve got someone in our corner to bring us up, “If you need to shake them ghosts off/ Love it if you take that coat off/ Oh, woah-woah, oh/ Shoulders broader than the daylight/ Goddamn, this is your night/ Baby, do you/ Can’t nobody fuck with you/ Ain’t nobody fuckin’ with you.” Jenkin’s verse only dials up vibe asking for everyone to shed those demons and let loose. I’m surprised this track wasn’t released as a single because it was made to get people moving.
“Hummin’” sets us on shaky ground on whether or not to trust this man whose physical prowess has him has clouded his judgment. The way all the electronic elements combine with the pulsing beat feels like cool beads of sweat running down your forehand. This only amplifies the sensuous tone in Wise’s voice as he fights to keep lucid against the lascivious urges, “That brother ‘round the corner kinda wild/ Said he’d fix my car, but child/ I cannot tell if I should trust his smile/ But look how he saunters in his shoes/ The way he twists and screws/ Now my car is hummin’ and he got my body hummin’ too, ooh.” Josiah practically purrs each word in such a way you can’t help but be caught up by the sexual tension he’s created.
“Ellipsis” reaches for a way to speak to the emotions he’s feeling. This has the most soulful treatment out of all the songs on the project. Orion Sun’s contribution brings a secondary point of view to this physical relationship as she asks if this is going somewhere romantically, “Okay, you gon’ love me through the night/ Will you love me in the morning?/ Okay, do you still think I’m the one?/ This shit so annoying/ Okay, I’ma leave you outside/ I’ma leave you outside/ What can I say?/ You gon’ love me through the night/ You gon’ leave me in the morning.” All of this speaks to the clear love that has grown between these two, and they can’t seem to call up the words to breathe this into life. Both artists sound fantastic together overtop the soulful R&B rinse given to this track.
After all the heavy physical intimacy that combed through the album's opening half, “Lucky Me” bathes in the euphoric air of falling in love. We drift through the ambient breeze of sampled rainfall and rich acoustic guitar. Wise’s sense of security spices the air with a sweet floral scent as he holds tightly to this feeling he’s found, “Kisses on my shoulder replace that chip/ If God is a god at all, He lives in your grip/ I’m lucky to be a word on your page/ I’m lucky to have you, baby/ Oh, sorry I’m gushing again/ Blame it on your touching, touching.” I love how meditative everything feels. His various harmonies fall deliciously over the serene landscape created here.
We come to a close with curiosities peeking over a friend’s deepening romantic relationship in “1 to 10.” We come full circle sonically, bringing back the thumbing club beat underneath Josiah’s iridescent harmonies. You can easily imagine a group of friends gathered together for a night out and asking about this new man that’s changed up their friend’s life, “V-neck on/ Look at you nеck-deep in your feelings/ I see you sprung ‘bout this man/ Glad you found you a real one/ Nobody tryna be alone forever/ Turned out the ‘summer boo’/ Is good in any kind of weather/ How fine is he?/ On a scale of one to ten.” I love how the carnal urges between the two at the beginning of this album have ended with something deeper.
I have to say I quite enjoyed Josiah’s experimentation with hip-hop, R&B, and soul throughout this album. It helps to nail down the scenery of love and lust across the project. I am always pleased to hear Wise openly discuss sexuality on any of his albums. It helps to shed the stigma of male/male intimacy, especially in POC communities. GRIP gives its listeners the space to move and love without worry. Including artists like Ty Dolla $ign, Yanga YaYa, Mick Jenkins, and Orion Sun made each vignette more vivid.
I look forward to seeing what territory Josiah will tread next, and highly recommend giving this album a listen if you’re a fan of alt-R&B, looking for a queer artist to connect with, or simply needing an album to groove to.
My overall thoughts on GRIP:
Loved it: “Deep End,” “Rum/Throwback,” “Black Air Force” (feat. Mick Jenkins), “Hummin’,” “Ellipsis” (feat. Orion Sun), “Lucky Me,” “1 to 10.”
Liked it: “Damn Gloves” (feat. Ty Dolla $ign and Yanga YaYa), “Safe Word,” “Spades.”
Disliked it: None
My overall rating: 8.5 out of 10.
