For just over two decades, the independent record label Secretly Canadian has been at the heart and ground floor of new music across various genres.
From releases with folk-rock mainstays and Grammy winners The War on Drugs to the experimental rock legend Yoko Ono, Secretly Canadian has been home to genre-defining artists since 1996. Within the last week, they have released singles from two of their most promising recent signees: R&B/Soul artist serpentwithfeet and indie-folk newcomer Skullcrusher.
serpentwithfeet, birth name Josiah Wise, is an experimental R&B artist from Brooklyn, New York, who has melded the gospel sounds from his youth with the new age electronic wave that has gained traction over the past decade. In the past, serpentwithfeet has found himself collaborating with artists like Brockhampton and Ty Dolla Sign.
Recently, serpentwithfeet released the debut single from his upcoming sophomore album, DEACON. The track entitled, “Fellowship”, is a step in a more joyous direction for the Brooklyn singer, as he shares his experiences of beginning a new decade in his life and the importance of platonic relationships. His last album, soil, was also released through Secretly Canadian in 2018, and if the rest of DEACON follows the themes of its first single, the project is set to be a journey of self-love through personal reflection. Check out the video for “Fellowship” below and the physical pre-order’s for DEACON here.
Fellow Secretly Canadian signee, Skullcrusher, has been making waves over the last six months with the release of her debut project, Skullcrusher – EP. Born Helen Ballentine, Skullcrusher hails from Westchester County, New York. While her name resembles the music of guitars spilling with overdrive and crowds full of mosh pits, Ballentine’s music instead features a combination of her elegant vocals and neo-folk instrumentals.
Her newest single, “A Song for Nick Drake” is an ode to the late, English singer-songwriter. In a statement shared with the song’s release, Ballentine shared, “It recalls moments in my life that are viscerally intertwined with his music, specifically times spent walking and taking the train. The song is really my homage to the music and the times I felt most immersed in it.” Hopefully, the release of this single means more Skullcrusher tracks are in store for the coming year. Listen to “A Song for Nick Drake” here and watch the video below.
With a slew of artists, like serpentwithfeet and Skullcrusher, signed to their label and making waves in their respective genres, Secretly Canadian once again finds themselves presenting a new generation of important artists to the world.
