Aiir (EP)

AIIR
A black background with "AIIR" in white
EP by
Sault
Released1 November 2022 (2022-11-01)
GenreChoral, contemporary classical[1]
Length25:27
LabelForever Living Originals
ProducerInflo
Sault chronology
11
(2022) 		AIIR
(2022) 		Earth
(2022)

AIIR is a studio EP by the British R&B collective Sault, a sequel to their sixth album, AIR (2022). The EP was one of five simultaneous digital releases for free on 1 November 2022 (along with 11, Earth, Today & Tomorrow, and Untitled (God)).[2] Four of the five (excluding Untitled (God)) were released on streaming music services on 12 November.[3] The download was available for only five days via a password-encrypted link and made as an offering to God.

Critical reception

Writing for The Daily Telegraph, Ali Shutler reviewed all five simultaneous releases by Sault and gave them a collective four out of five stars, noting that AIIR follows from the earlier Air that "conjures anxiety and paranoia through orchestral soundscapes".[4] In an overview of the best music of the week on All Songs Considered, NPR considers the five releases "as sonically diverse as they are ambitious in their breadth and scale".[5]

Damien Morris of The Observer reviewed all five albums and scored them five stars, noting that "anyone can find their own five-star classic among these 56 songs" and summing up that "it's clear that these albums are an act of supreme generosity, not indulgent superfluity".[6] Writing for Gigwise, Luke Winstanley called the collective releases "an absurd achievement" and scored this album eight out of 10, calling it "another sumptuous classical effort [following Air], essentially functioning as a sequel or companion piece [that] presents a more focused, leaner and less indulgent collection than its predecessor".[1]

Track listing

  1. "4am" – 4:48
  2. "Hiding Moon" – 4:09
  3. "Still Waters" – 5:20
  4. "Gods Will" – 5:12
  5. "5am" – 5:58

References

  1. ^ a b Winstanley, Luke (21 November 2022). "All 5 of the New Sault Albums, Reviewed". Gigwise. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  2. ^ Monroe, Jazz (1 November 2022). "Sault Release 5 Password-Protected New Albums". Pitchfork. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  3. ^ Richards, Will (12 November 2022). "Sault release four of their five new albums on streaming services". NME. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  4. ^ Shutler, Ari (4 November 2022). "Phoenix haunt the Louvre, Sault offer songs to God – the week's best albums". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  5. ^ Lee, Cristina; Tourus, Cyrena; Morrison, John; Hilton, Robin (4 November 2022). "New Music Friday: The best releases out on Nov. 4". All Songs Considered. NPR. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  6. ^ Morris, Damien (13 November 2022). "Sault: Aiir, Earth, Today & Tomorrow, Untitled (God), 11 review – an act of supreme generosity". The Observer. Retrieved 25 November 2022.