The first of two 2019 albums from Sault, London’s most enigmatic group led by producer Inflo and featuring (uncredited) UK soul singer Cleo Sol and UK producer Kadeem Clarke, is a collection of conscious soul and funk, the stripped-back bass-and-drum post-disco of ESG the most obvious musical reference point. It’s a stark and raw sound that can feel edgy and tense but often feels warm and comforting too, sometimes in the same song. And Sault, via the individual performances and also the overall production aesthetic, manage to bring a London pirate radio feel for hip hop, R’n’B, reggae and dub to their sound, altering the source material into something that sounds new. 5 sounded pretty unique at the time, still does, and marked the beginning of a remarkable four-year ten-album run.