American singer BANKS (real name Jillian Banks) just released her 4th album Serpentina. It came out on Friday 8th April. The album title was inspired by the word "Serpentine", which BANKS used to draw in journals when she was at school. The "a" at the end represents a feminisation of the idea of the divine feminine. She also chose Serpentina because snakes represent rebirth and shedding your skin.
You can read more about Serpentina here: https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/banks-serpentina-3196028
The album consists of 13 tracks, including singles The Devil, Skinnydipped, Holding Back and I Still Love You.
Serpentina is a good album, if you like BANKS' style of alternative R'n'B/electronic music, you'll probably enjoy this. :) There is a mix of upbeat song and quiet, reflective ones. There are also some new styles, such as gospel influences on Spirit which features SAMOHT and Anything 4 U is more of a dance song. My favourites are Holding Back, F**k Love and Deadend, and I also like The Devil, Skinnydipped, Meteorite and Unleavable.
So here are my fave songs/singles (videos and audio). :)
The Devil
This was the lead single from the album, released last June. It was BANKS' first release as an independent artist after leaving Harvest Records (she's now signed to AWAL). The song is about being stronger than the demons that taunt you and was written after she went through a difficult time at the start of 2020 (just before worldwide pandemic lockdowns), suffering health issues and a spine injury, going through a break up and having anxiety attacks.
The video is inspired by horror films Bram Stoker's Dracula and Death Becomes Her (two movies that I like!).
Skinnydipped
Skippydipped was the 2nd single and came out in August. It's about finally letting go of something that you kept going back to in the past, and about knowing your worth and shedding your skin.
I shared the music video in my August 2021 New Music Releases post (2nd video on the page): https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2021/08/new-music-releases.html
Holding Back
I would say Holding Back is my favourite song on the album. It was the 3rd single to be released, coming out in February. I featured the audio and lyric videos in a new music post, (along with a B Young video): https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2022/02/new-music-b-young-and-banks.html
I Still Love You
I Still Love You was the 4th single and came out on 21st March.it's about loving someone you don't talk to anymore, even missing things about them you thought you hated. BANKS says she had been holding onto the song for 6 years and now feels like the right time to share it.
Meteorite
5th single Meteorite was released on 4th April. It's about leaving your inhibitions behind and making a move on someone you find attractive. My favourite part is the chorus.
This is the official lyric video.
F**k Love
This is my 2nd fave. BANKS sings about feeling like she's done with love because it keep getting screwed up! This is the official lyric video. Good melody and beat.
As the title indicates, the song is explicit! :)
Deadend
Finally, here is Deadend, the latest single. It's about being in a deadend relationship and wanting to be the one who ends it, because it's not working out. Fave part is the bridge and really like the chorus too.
This is also a lyric video.
Listen to the full album at these links:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/0YM67c7AYsZkvCSpPoYrFJ
YouTube playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KJkRR8LpEI&list=OLAK5uy_nMn2rBOhLxU13AwTQEk5PeDHpP4O7BN0o
Hope you liked the post! :) What do you think of Serpentina? What are your favourite songs?
Want more BANKS? Check out these posts:
Upcoming Album Releases- BANKS and Mabel (round-up of her music prior to the release of the 2019 album III; also features music by Mabel): https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2019/06/upcoming-album-releases.html
Post about her last album III: https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2019/07/new-banks-album.html
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