serpentwithfeet has found an appropriately unusual place to introduce his next project: deep in the woods.

The Baltimore-born singer-songwriter released "Sentinel" on Wednesday, September 23, alongside a live performance filmed in the forests of the Pacific Northwest in Canada. The video doubles as the first installment of FERN, a newly launched performance series placing Black artists in natural environments.

FERN was created to examine how those surroundings can reshape both musical performance and the relationship between Black creativity and nature. Its episodes will pair intimate performances with conversations and roll out across YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram.

For serpentwithfeet, the setting also came with some unexpected acoustics.

“It’s like a natural reverb, a natural delay that I haven’t actually experienced before,” he said of performing in the forest, adding that the experience gave him some “gossip time with nature.”

"Sentinel" also opens a larger chapter for the singer. He has signed with One Little Independent Records, which will release his seven-track Sentinel EP on December 4.

Sentinel follows a run of projects centered on Black queer intimacy. His 2024 album, GRIP, situated a love story inside Black gay nightlife, while 2025’s GRIP SEQUEL expanded that record with six new songs and alternate versions of three tracks.

The title track is serpentwithfeet’s first solo release since last year’s “Lover’s Spit” and his first release for One Little Independent.