What do Sault gain by remaining anonymous?
Sault are without doubt one of the most exciting enigmatic forces currently treading the boards of the music industry. Not only sonically are they a delectable melting pot of R&B, house, disco, and reggae, among others, but the most enthralling idea about the collective is their total lack of outward-facing persona – a notion, on the surface, completely at odds with the intrusive age of knowledge around identity that we find ourselves in.
This is not, however, a failure of publicity in any terms. Indeed, the whole idea of anonymity is embedded into the crux of Sault’s ethos. Since 2019, when they first started releasing music, Sault’s aim has been to drop records with as minimal hype as possible, letting the tracks do the heavy lifting for themselves. It’s a novel approach by any standards, but what exactly do they gain by taking such pains to achieve this?
Well, in complete fairness, that veil of anonymity is much more transparent now than it once was. We now know that Sault is helmed by the married musical powerhouse of soul singer-songwriter Cleo Sol and producer Inflo, with regular contributions from artists Kid Sister, Chronixx, and Jack Peñate. Previous guests have also included Michael Kiwanuka and Little Simz, making them a collective of sonic ingenuity and, above all, a marker of Black excellence.
This aspect of Sault’s makeup goes a long way in explaining their choice to eschew the spotlight—their steadfast focus on centring stories of Black identities at the heart of their work. In this sense, Sault is communicating an honourable message: that the music belongs to an entire community, not individuals, and to maintain that, its creators are more than happy to take a step back from the acclaim.
Artistically, the Black identity permeates every beat and rhythm of Sault’s back catalogue, particularly in 2020 releases Untitled (Black Is) and Untitled (Rise), inspired in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement sparked by the racist murder of George Floyd. But in other ways, Sault are also the perfect tonic for capitalist overconsumption.
Their penchant for surprise releases – their current record standing at a mind-blowing five albums being dropped all at once in November 2022 – is fully intertwined with the desire to be fleeting, with their 2021 album Nine only being available for 99 days before being wiped from the face of the earth. With Sault, it’s a case of really needing to be there as it happens – their first-ever live performance in London at the end of 2023 was met with so much hype it was like a second coming – but their impact is also inspiring a new generation of elusive musicians in their wake.
Bands like the Glass Beams are now following Sault’s suit. The Australian psychedelic rock project group have never revealed their identities since its inception in 2020, aside from founder Rajan Silva. Alongside their British anonymous counterparts, the Glass Beams are setting a new trend in the music industry where, at last, personal identity and sonic intentions are finally being prised apart.
Sault, in all their relatively short period as a collective, have captured the attentions of the musical world and taken it by storm with their unconventional approach to the limelight. For the sceptics, the novelty of anonymity has the potential to wear thin, but arguably, this is worth a lot more than just a pure gimmick. At last, fame is not the primary goal of making music – this is about creating songs that communicate, embolden, and empower; that are owned not by the high and mighty but by the everyman. Sonic superstars have come down to our level, and as a music fan, there’s nothing more intoxicating than that.
