Song You Need: Sainté’s “Valentine” turns on the charm

On his latest project the U.K rapper finds him searching for certainty amid a dizzying come up.

October 24, 2022
Song You Need: Sainté’s “Valentine” turns on the charm Sainté   Press

The FADER’s “Songs You Need” are the tracks we can’t stop playing. Check back every day for new music and follow along on our Spotify playlist.

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U.K. rapper Sainté's new project Vacation offers up a snapshot of an artist whose talent is slowly changing his life. The follow-up to 2021's Out Of The Blue documents a year in which he has left home in the Midlands and moved to London with the mission of getting his money up and enjoying life to the max in the big city. Over seven laid-back tracks Sainté (pronounced simply "Saint") embraces the chaos in such upheaval while also finding himself space to reflect.

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"Valentine" is Sainté in loverman mode, a role he reverts to often and excels at. He lays out the situation from the top, he's never had a valentine before as he's too busy but that doesn't stop him from wanting to get involved. He doesn't shy away from toxic tendencies, telling the girl he has in mind that "I never liked your friends," but he knows he's "happy when I pick you up in a Benz." It's a messy and convoluted kind of love, but Sainté's honesty lends his storytelling a compelling quality. The track also showcases his stellar ear for beats, with blown-out 808s adding grit to the dreamy synths. "Valentine," like much of Vacation, is sleek, smooth, and destined to be played on repeat.

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Song You Need: Sainté’s “Valentine” turns on the charm