A radical pivot into choral and orchestral majesty. No drums, no bass, just massive vocal walls and cinematic strings that feel like a sacred transmission.
Imagine a soul group decided to record a film score in a cathedral and forgot to bring the drums.
A vast, awe-inspiring sense of spiritual weightlessness and cinematic grandeur.
Released as a surprise in April 2022, 'Air' represents the most significant sonic departure in SAULT's mysterious career. Moving away from the post-punk and funk-inflected soul of 'Untitled (Black Is)' and 'Nine', the collective - led by producer Inflo - embraced a purely orchestral and choral palette. The album consists of seven tracks that blend contemporary classical minimalism with operatic scale. Critical reception was highly positive, with Pitchfork awarding it 'Best New Music' and praising its ambitious scope. While some fans were surprised by the total absence of the group's signature rhythm section, the album solidified SAULT as a project capable of high-art conceptualism. It functions as a bridge between modern soul and sacred music, utilizing the London Contemporary Orchestra to create a soundscape that is both intimate and cosmic. It remains a singular entry in their discography, proving their 'collective' identity is as much about a shared spiritual frequency as it is about a specific genre.
Put this on for
Headphones on, eyes closed, letting the room disappear into a vast cathedralFirst light hitting the floorboards while the house is still perfectly silentLying flat on the grass watching clouds lose their shapeThat specific quiet after a heavy snow has muffled the citySlowly turning pages of a thick art book in a library cornerDeep breathing exercises where the exhale lasts longer than the inhaleDriving through a mountain pass as the fog begins to lift
Moments worth waiting for
The sudden, soaring vocal ascent halfway through Solar that feels like breaking through a cloud layer.
The way the strings swell into a dissonant but beautiful tension on the title track before resolving into a choral hum.
The delicate, isolated piano notes that punctuate the massive vocal walls in Time Is Precious.
Sounds like
2022s production with a timeless soul
Sits beside
Promises - Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra, Become Ocean - John Luther Adams, Lux - Brian Eno, The Disintegration Loops - William Basinski
Lyrical territory
spirituality, nature, existential
03Deviation
AIR · vs · SAULT
Artist
This Album
Low Energy
Energy · ↓ −27% less than usual
On this album, low energy sits about 27% less prominent than across the rest of the artist's catalogue.
