Serpentina is Banks’s highly anticipated fourth studio album. It was certainly one of my most anticipated albums of the year.
The overall feel is a lot different from The Altar (2016) and III (2019). Even so, it’s very much a “Banks” album in all the best ways, with a lot of synth effects, auto-tune, and some experimentation—it’s a blend of genres—but the beats are catchy. They have a certain moody and atmospheric edge that works well with Banks’s vocals, which I’ve come to expect and appreciate. And when it delivers, it delivers.
The lyrics are just excellent. I expected nothing less, but even then I underestimated it. There were way too many lines that I wanted to quote. Some of my favorites come from the songs Skinnydipped, Meteorite, Holding Back, and Birds by the Sea. But, all of the tracks are a solid offering, and it’s hard to choose any one song that stands out as a top favorite when they’re all so good.
Overall, Serpentina has quickly become a favorite. And so far, I’m having a great time listening to it on repeat.
