Producer Salute and vocalist Riva Starr released their new single soul reply on the 31st under Warner Music Limited, through Queens Road Music / Atlantic Records UK, with copyright held by Fast and Soulful Limited. This song comes as a lead-up to Salute’s mixtape infinite passion and was released alongside the soul reply Riva warehouse love mix, which arrived the day before.

Salute brings a vibrancy and energy to the UK garage scene that some liken to Rally House, house music associated with ’90s drift racing and Eurobeat. This comparison is directly drawn through the visual material for the past album TRUE MAGIC, featuring different JDM (Japanese domestic market) racers like the Toyota MR2 and the Nissan 180X.

This track has a cover closer to Troye Sivan’s latest album, Something to Give Each Other, leaning towards sensuality with a male figure’s back shown. It also has a similar vibe to SG Lewis’ or Duckwrth’s songs and features high-speed key riffs over house percussion and intoxicating sidechained string samples. Riva Starr’s thickly layered octave harmonies add real character, though as quickly as the song enters, it’s gone, having only two verses and one chorus repetition with no bridge, although the intro stretches the song a little. It’s so catchy that I’m almost wishing for a longer cut of the song to be released later.

Although a similar length, the Riva warehouse love mix offers more toned-down vibes and, as the name suggests, plays more into the ’90s underground sound, while also bringing in a fashion-house and catwalk vibe with its swanky keys.

The track heavily interpolates lyrics and melody from the 2003 original song Soulreply by Stylophonic, written by P. Goody, Stylophonic, Rogers, and Bernard Edwards, while transposing the melody to a different key and giving it a more emotive delivery. The original definitely comes from the same vein as Daft Punk and Chromeo’s soul-fused French house with ’70s funk vocals.

The lyrics describe love as something deeply spiritual and mystical, providing the image of sending out a message to establish a connection between souls.

This feeling
I share my joy with you
Love found its way right into my heart
For the moment, I’m weak at the knees

Tell me, where am I supposed to land
Carried by the winter wonder sacred sand

Although borrowing from much of Stylophonic’s track, soul reply brings new life and relevance to the 2003 underground hit. Starr’s performance is layered and nuanced in a way that sets it apart from any cover, and the energy that Salute infuses into the song is unforgettable.

Blog Date: Aug 5, 2026