Sault are an R&B-rooted collective whose 5, 7, Untitled (Black Is), and Untitled (Rise), released during 2019 and 2020, have integrated numerous styles including retro-modern psychedelic soul, rambunctious post-punk funk, righteous Afrobeat, and purposefully oblique pop. They've been just as varied from a lyrical standpoint, shifting with ease from affection and heartache to opposition and upliftment. Presented anonymously, Sault appeared early in 2019 with "We Are the Sun" and "Don't Waste My Time," singles that set up and appeared on the full-length 5, released that May. Physical copies credited only production to Inflo, aka Dean Josiah Cover, best known for having co-written Michael Kiwanuka's Ivor Novello Award-winning "Black Man in a White World," among other work with the Kooks, Jungle, and Little Simz. Cover wrote or co-wrote all the songs, joined by Cleopatra Nikolic, aka Cleo Sol (another Little Simz collaborator), and Melisa Young, aka Kid Sister. Only four months later, Sault returned with the briefer 7, written strictly by Cover and Nikolic in tandem. Among the high-profile supporters of these albums was BBC DJ Gilles Peterson, who in June 2020 broadcast the entirety of the third Sault offering, Untitled (Black Is), a week ahead of ahead of its Juneteenth release. The expansive and urgent set, featuring an appearance from Kiwanuka, followed Cleo Sol's Inflo-produced Rose in the Dark by less than three months. Untitled (Rise), distinguished by more uptempo material, arrived that September. ~ Andy Kellman
