Even though the mystery around Black British collective SAULT has waned over the years — the group is helmed by producer Inflo and features his wife, singer Cleo Sol — they stay true to their prolific, surprise releases. SAULT started teasing something on their socials a few days ago, posting an image of lit match with the caption: "Chapter 1, You ready to start ?" Today, they've released their first album of the new year called Chapter 1, the follow-up to last year's 10.
On first listen, Chapter 1 sounds pretty good. There's a lot of funk, blues, and early rock 'n' roll influence in the tracks. Later in the album the songs get larger, even though most lyrics are mantra-centric. "Lord Have Mercy" is an slow-burning, expansive sprawl of symphonic strings and mournful vocals. There's dry drum hits, melancholic acoustic guitar, and a recurring twangy guitar that sounds like it's stalking the midnight streets. It's one of several songs written with R&B legends Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, a list that also includes "Fulfill Your Spirit," "Good Things Will Come After The Pressure," "Love Does Not Equal Pain," and "Don't Worry About What You Can't Control."
On Instagram, SAULT write:
We are so grateful to share this body of work with you, thank you for being on this path with us. Thank you for embracing us and giving us the freedom to create whatever we like and whenever we like, we overstand that this is rare. We truly appreciate every single one of you, the journey continues, enjoy
The new release follows a tumultuous year for the talented group. Last year they performed their second ever live show, which featured a guest appearance from Yasiin Bey, the rap elder formerly known as Mos Def. The live event wasn't met with great reviews. Several months before that, news broke that rapper Little Simz was suing her former producer Dean Cover — aka Inflo — for failing to pay back loans totaling $2.2 million.
Listen to Chapter 1 below.
