Deacon (album)

A year after the release of Serpentwithfeet's debut studio album Soil (2018), he released a single titled "Receipts" with singer and rapper Ty Dolla Sign.[6] They further worked on the latter's album Featuring Ty Dolla Sign (2020), with the single "Ego Death" along with rapper Kanye West, singer-songwriter FKA Twigs, and record producer Skrillex.[7] Serpentwithfeet also contributed his vocals on "Serpentwithfeet Interlude" on the same album.[8] On the same year, he released an extended play titled Apparition on April 30.[9]

On January 25, 2021, Serpentwithfeet announced the release date of the album alongside the single "Fellowship", co-produced by musicians Sampha and Lil Silva.[2] He released the second single titled "Same Size Shoe" on February 17, 2021.[3] Three days prior to the album release, he released the third single, "Heart Storm", a collaboration with singer Nao.[4]

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	8.0/10[10]
Metacritic	86/100[11]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic[12]
Clash[1]	9/10
Consequence of Sound[13]	A−
The Independent[14]
NME[15]
Pitchfork[16]	7.7/10
Rolling Stone[17]

Deacon received rave reviews from contemporary music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 from reviews from mainstream critics, the album received a score of 86, based on 15 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[11] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 8.0 out of 21, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[10]

Rachel Brodsky of The Independent gave the album a perfect score and described it as a "a stunning celebration of black, gay love. [...] It is also a groundbreaking proclamation of personal acceptance."[14] Laura Dzubay at Consequence of Sound gave the album an A−, described it as a "bountiful collage of love and care."[13] Shahzaib Hussain of Clash gave it 9 out of 10, deemed it as an "early contender for Album of the Year" then described Deacon as a "triumph". He further stated that "it realizes and relives love's quiet, archived moments, be it romantic or spiritual."[1] Ross Horton of The Line of Best Fit called it "blood-red" and "heart-bursting", further stated that it is "quite clearly, a complex, rich and elegant collection that points at one very simple truth: love is central to a life well lived."[18] Heather Phares of AllMusic compared the album to Serpentwithfeet's previous releases and called it more "soothing and fulfilling". Phares stated that Serpentwithfeet "transforms into a beautiful, fully realized work of art for his audience to savor."[12] El Hunt of NME gave it a four out of five stars and called it "a meticulous excavation of heartbreak".[15] Ben Tipple of DIY gave the album four out of five stars and called the album "looks for hope in love, much like in the spirituality that birthed it."[19] Claire Shaffer of Rolling Stone gave the album four out of five stars and praised the "cheekiness and humor" of it. Shaffer described the album as a "party record for people partying alone in their living room."[17] Adlan Jackson at Pitchfork rated the album 7.7 out of 10, saying that the album "could use a few more awe-inspiring moments, but by celebrating simplicity, it enshrines the Black, queer love at its center as something blessedly uncomplicated and precious."[16]

In June 2021, Billboard named the album among the best 15 albums released by LGBTQ artists so far in 2021.[20]