Despite having released two acclaimed albums in 2020, SAULT remain a very enigmatic project. I mean who knows who is hidden behind this mysterious, visionary collective that blend together gospel, reggae, funk, rhythm and blues, house and disco amongst others? Maybe producer Inflo or Cleo Sol, who have been both credited several times on their previous releases? Nothing is certain. And it’s not the elusive concept of their fifth album that will dispel the fog.

Teased via a countdown on their website, NINE will be available for download and stream for 99 days. After that, the project will go up in smoke (as shown with the matches on the cover). We already knew some artists who decided to skip streaming platforms, like Joanna Newsom or Skee Mask more recently, with his excellent Bandcamp exclusive Pool, but this concept goes one step further, questioning the timeless side of music – a bit like Banksy‘s self-destructed painting. Besides the buzzy concept, this could be a good way to push people to get back to buying music, which is tremendously more sustainable than streaming for artists. NINE will be pressed to vinyl so be sure to get your copy on time.

In the meantime, revisit their amazing track “Wildfires,” taken from their 2020 album Untitled (Black Is), below.