The latest offering from Dawn Richard’s fourth album, new breed, is the sexual slow-jam the world deserves. Starkly contrasting previous tracks previewing the record, “sauce” hearkens back to the days of the the singer’s musical past; the song possesses shades of her work on Blackheart and Redemption, with avant-garde electronic flourishes and an — at once — purposeful and meandering quality to her vocal delivery. Although this could easily be construed as a regression in sound, it feels more like a compromise between the musical sensibilities of her past and of her present.
On “sauce,” Richard positively prowls across the production in an extended come-on to her partner. With explicit lines like “I’m looking forward to you coming/in more ways than you hoppin’ in your car” and “I’m ready to ride you like I’m about to win a prize at the derby,” she expertly states her desires and demands for their weekend alone. The singer has never been quite this forward in her lyrics, giving an air of sexy desperation to the commands; Rihanna, musical sex symbol of our generation, is even referenced in the song, showing us just how serious Richard is about putting in that work for her partner “till that sauce is all over.” I have no idea what that statement means, but with a song this good, does it really matter?
Rating: 4.5/5