Is this a traditional rollout for a forthcoming SAULT album? After the usual sudden unveiling of the album title X (in the usual matchstick styling) via social media channels this past Thursday, previous experience dictated that the album was dropping the following day. Cue frantic, semi-regular (ok, hourly) checks on streaming sites for it to appear—all of which ultimately ended in frustration.
Then Gilles Peterson informed the world on his radio show on Saturday that it would drop today (10/10/22) and all seemed right in the world. Which made it all the more surreal to not see an album but rather a single song labelled as an EP this morning. So far, so un-SAULT.
Angel though is enough to satisfy even the most ardent of fans, taking in three movements that follow a path of loss, love, acceptance and peace. Jamaican singer Chronixx stars on vocals throughout, bringing heart and humanity to the track as it flows from guitar-led soul reggae, to piano-led gospel rumination and, finally, to the sheer unadulterated bliss of a warmly comforting bassline and delicate guitar phrasing.
The song’s 10+ minutes pack more into their duration than other albums manage over their entire course. It is as powerful as anything the group have released, albeit in a more understated way. All of which means I go back to frantically checking for the album’s release like an absolute lunatic. Anticipation is half the fun, right?
LISTEN: