| Soil | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 8, 2018 | |||
| Length | 39:47 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer |
| |||
| Serpentwithfeet chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Soil | ||||
| ||||
Soil (stylized in all lowercase) is the debut studio album by American singer and songwriter Serpentwithfeet. It was released on June 8, 2018, by Secretly Canadian and Tri Angle. [1]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 8.2/10 [2] |
| Metacritic | 87/100 [3] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| Clash | 9/10 [5] |
| DIY | [6] |
| Exclaim! | 7/10 [7] |
| The Observer | [8] |
| Pitchfork | 8.1/10 [9] |
| PopMatters | 10/10 [10] |
| Resident Advisor | 4.0/5 [11] |
| Rolling Stone |  [12] |
| Under the Radar | 8/10 [13] |
Soil received widespread acclaim from critics. On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 87, based on 15 reviews. [3] Dmitry Teckel of Clash described the album as "magical" and called it "presents love as a great ritual of universal joy". [5] Sasha Geffen of Pitchfork said, "With soil, serpentwithfeet deeply engages with the complex membranes between the self and a loved one, the self and the world. Few albums attempt this much nuance in articulating love; Wise's success in his ambitions feels like a gift." [9] Heather Phares of AllMusic gave the album four out of five stars, commented that the album "captures a passionate, complex artist coming into his own." [4] Rachel Finn of DIY called the album as "a return to his roots and a celebration of finally having found his feet." [6] Katherine St. Asaph of Spin gave the album a positive review, calling the album was "full of subtleties: love lost, love mourned, love repurposed." [14] Comparing to his previous work blisters, Stephen Mayne of Under the Radar praised the album to have "richer, dense rhythms and surprising samples", commented that they "wrapped into sensuous tracks detailing love and loss." [13] A. Harmony of Exclaim! called the album as a "courageous effort where serpentwithfeet's bravery pays off." [7]
| Publication | Accolade | Rank | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Atlantic | 23 Best Albums of 2018 | Unranked | |
| BrooklynVegan | Top 50 Albums of 2018 | 39 | |
| Dazed | The 20 Best Albums of 2018 | 19 | |
| Fact | The 50 Best Albums of 2018 | 12 | |
| The Guardian | 50 Best Albums of 2018 | 45 | |
| The New York Times (Jon Pareles) | The 28 Best Albums of 2018 | 3 | |
| NPR Music | The 50 Best Albums of 2018 | 24 | |
| PopMatters | 70 Best Albums of 2018 | 5 | |
| 20 Best Avant-Garde and Experimental Albums of 2018 | 8 | ||
| Spin | 51 Best Albums of 2018: Staff Picks | 43 | |
| Tiny Mix Tapes | Favorite 50 Music Releases of 2018 | 20 | |
| The Vinyl Factory | 50 Favourite Albums of 2018 | 33 |
| Year | Organization | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | A2IM Libera Awards | Album of the Year | Nominated | |
| Best Outlier Album | Nominated | |||
| Best R&B Album | Nominated |
Credits adapted from Bandcamp. [28]
All tracks are written by Serpentwithfeet, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Whisper" |
|
| 4:21 |
| 2. | "Messy" |
| 3:31 | |
| 3. | "Wrong Tree" | Serpentwithfeet | 3:43 | |
| 4. | "Fragrant" |
| 3:14 | |
| 5. | "Mourning Song" |
| 3:19 | |
| 6. | "Cherubim" |
| 3:38 | |
| 7. | "Seedless" |
| 3:29 | |
| 8. | "Invoice" |
|
| 4:01 |
| 9. | "Waft" |
| 2:48 | |
| 10. | "Slow Syrup" |
| 3:20 | |
| 11. | "Bless Ur Heart" |
| 4:23 |
Notes
Bobby Krlic, known by his stage name The Haxan Cloak, is a British composer, artist, music producer and musician.
Excavation is the second studio album by The Haxan Cloak, released on Tri Angle Records on April 16, 2013.
LP1 is the debut studio album by English singer-songwriter FKA Twigs, released on 11 August 2014 by Young Turks. Production for the album is handled by FKA Twigs herself, alongside Emile Haynie, Arca, Cy An, Devonté Hynes, Clams Casino, Paul Epworth, Sampha and Tic.
Ruins is the tenth studio album by American musician Liz Harris under the stage name Grouper. It was released in the United States on October 31, 2014 on Kranky.
Girlpool was an indie rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed by friends Avery Tucker and Harmony Tividad. Their debut self-titled EP Girlpool was released on Bandcamp in 2014 and re-released on Wichita Recordings later that year. They released their debut album Before the World Was Big in 2015, followed by Powerplant (2017) and What Chaos Is Imaginary (2019). Their fourth and final studio album, Forgiveness (2022), was released on April 29. In August 2022, the duo announced that they will be taking an indefinite break from the band.
Vega Intl. Night School is the third album by American electronic music band Neon Indian. It was released on October 16, 2015, by Mom + Pop Music. The album title was an intentional nod to Alan Palomo's other music project, titled Vega, for which he produced only a single EP. Noticing that ideas from Neon Indian and Vega were merging, Palomo decided to combine the two projects into one and retire the use of the Vega moniker.
Ratchet is the 2015 debut studio album by American singer/songwriter Shamir, released on May 19, 2015, on XL Recordings.
Product is the debut compilation by English electronic music producer Sophie. It was released by Numbers on 27 November 2015. The 8 tracks on Product appeared as singles released from 2013 to 2015. The album was made available in "silicon bubble cases", and its release coincides with the launch of a line of apparel and a "silicon product" resembling a sex toy.
Mutant is the second studio album by Venezuelan electronic music producer Arca. It was released on 20 November 2015 via Mute.
Japanese Breakfast is an American indie pop band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania formed in 2013. The project is fronted by vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter Michelle Zauner, alongside Peter Bradley (guitar), Deven Craige (bass) and Craig Hendrix.
Rest is the fifth album by French singer and actress Charlotte Gainsbourg. It was primarily produced by French electronic musician SebastiAn, and released on 17 November 2017 by Because Music. It is her first album release in six years, and features collaborations with Paul McCartney, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, Owen Pallett and Connan Hosford, among others. The tracks "Rest" and "Deadly Valentine" were released as singles and music videos, both directed by Gainsbourg herself.
"Blissing Me" is the second single from Icelandic singer Björk's ninth album, Utopia, released on 14 November 2017 via One Little Indian Records. The song was written by Björk and produced by Björk and Arca.
Aromanticism is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Moses Sumney. It was released on September 22, 2017, by Jagjaguwar. It is a concept album about "lovelessness as a sonic dreamscape" that "seeks to interrogate the idea that romance is normative and necessary." The record was written and produced by Sumney, with assistance from numerous musicians. It features new versions of two previously-released songs, "Plastic" and "Lonely World".
Age Of is the eighth studio album by American electronic producer Oneohtrix Point Never, released on June 1, 2018, on Warp Records. Recorded over two years, it is the first Oneohtrix Point Never album to prominently feature Daniel Lopatin's own vocals. The album was accompanied by the MYRIAD tour, which premiered as a "conceptual concertscape" in 2018 at the Park Avenue Armory and ended its run in 2019.
Claire Elizabeth Cottrill, known professionally as Clairo, is an American singer-songwriter born in Georgia and raised in Massachusetts. She began posting music on the internet at age 13.
Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides is the debut studio album by English recording artist and producer Sophie and the only one to be released during her lifetime. It was released on 15 June 2018, through Transgressive, Future Classic and Sophie's own label, MSMSMSM. The title may be a mondegreen of the phrase "I love every person's insides". The album was Sophie's second full-length release after the singles collection Product (2015).
Josiah Wise, known professionally as serpentwithfeet, is an R&B musician based in Brooklyn, New York City. Wise released the EP Blisters in 2016, his debut studio album soil in 2018, his second EP Apparition in 2020, and his second studio album Deacon in 2021. His third studio album, Grip, was released in 2024.
Aviary is the fifth studio album by American musician Julia Holter, released on October 26, 2018, by Domino. It was preceded by the singles "I Shall Love 2" and "Words I Heard". The album title is derived from a line in poet Etel Adnan's 2009 collection Master of the Eclipse.
Pinned is the fifth studio album by American noise rock band A Place to Bury Strangers. It was released on April 13, 2018 under Dead Oceans.
Deacon is the second studio album by American singer and songwriter Serpentwithfeet. It was released on March 26, 2021, by Secretly Canadian.
