Mysterious posse Sault’s debut album “5” overflows with irresistible grooves

Not much is known about Sault, except that they are hot damn funky!

This record appeared from nowhere, with hardly any publicity or introduction, its enigmatic black cover bearing only a “5” in tally marks made out of matches. Expectations had been raised by a few equally mysterious singles, but no one had any idea who Sault were.

Speculation heated up when the brilliance of the album sank in. This was a white hot groovefest shrouded in a dark veil! Some sensed the presence of Inflo, longtime music partner of Little Simz; we can feel his touch in some tracks where the whiplash drums and megaphone chants recall her brilliant latest album. There were also hints of Jungle, another enigmatic duo with rubbery hypnotic basslines that resemble a few here.

Whoever they are, they are tight as fuck, and they serve one buttshaking piece after another. Some are warm, romantic disco-leaning nuggets; some are more scratchy with Krautrock metronomic beats; some are soul anthems. All are awesome. The sound is uncluttered and utterly assured: the rhythm section is the solid foundation for everything and the rest is layered on like sweet topping on a delicious cake.

Run, don’t walk, pick up “5” and shake that booty to it! No excuses!