After releasing not one, but two of Paste’s top 2020 albums, enigmatic U.K. soul group SAULT are coming back with a new project. Like everything they do, Nine is enshrouded in mystery and excitement alike.
The band posted a teaser on Instagram earlier this week, sharing an image in the style of the cover art from their 2019 albums 5 and 7, with matchsticks spelling out the word “Nine.” Late Wednesday, they shared another image with more detail: “NINE WILL EXIST FOR ONLY NINETY NINE DAYS. YOU CAN DOWNLOAD FROM WWW.SAULT.GLOBAL. AVAILABLE ON VINYL AND ALL STREAMING PLATFORMS.” (Presumably, fans who order a vinyl copy will be allowed to keep it past that 99-day limit.)
As of this writing, the band’s website reads, “107 DAYS LEFT OF NINE,” suggesting that the record will be released next Friday, June 25.
SAULT’s 2020 records, Untitled (Black Is) and Untitled (Rise), emerged among last summer’s racial justice protests—extraordinary works of art arriving at a time when listeners needed them most. Lizzie Manno wrote of Untitled (Black Is) for Paste, “the album of the Movement has arrived—and every second of it is glorious.” We thought even more highly of Untitled (Rise), ranking it as 2020’s #4 album.
Stream Untitled (Rise) right here and stay tuned for further updates on Nine.
