serpentwithfeet returns on December 4 with a new EP, Sentinel — his first release as a signee of One Little Independent Records. The move ends a run of nearly a decade on Secretly Canadian.

The title track is out now. serpentwithfeet describes it as a reverent love song, one that draws on sea shanties and his gospel roots.

In a statement, the New York-based singer-songwriter explained the ideas behind "Sentinel": he began writing it while thinking about "homoeroticism and the ways that men socialize when they're isolated."

"Then I started thinking about patriarchy," he continued. "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."

Sentinel arrives after serpentwithfeet's 2024 album GRIP. The new EP runs seven tracks:

1. Sentinel
2. Henchmen
3. Invocation
4. His student
5. Of Course, Daddy
6. Sentinel
7. Puckish ft. TYGAPAW

The closing track brings in TYGAPAW, the Jamaican-born, New York-based producer whose work sits at the intersection of dancehall, reggae and experimental club music. With the title track already released, listeners have a first indication of how the EP's gospel-inflected, shanty-inspired sound will unfold across its remaining six songs.