A slow burning journey that favors mood over spectacle.

On Champion Sound, Faithless returns with an album that feels both reflective and exploratory, a signature blend of spoken word, dance floor energy and widescreen electronics delivered across four thematic ‘discs.’ Playing less like a traditional LP and more like a curated journey, it is a significant test of the project’s pulse, especially without the late Maxi Jazz’s voice anchoring the center. The group masterfully leans into atmosphere and arrangement to build a powerful sense of continuity.

Disc One opens with “Forever Free,” a short prelude that works like the lights slowly warming up before the curtain opens. “In Your Own Groove,” featuring LSK, pushes immediately into a warm, dub-inflected house feel, carrying the kind of lived-in groove Faithless has always handled with ease. “Fugitive” brings a darker, simmering energy, the track stretching past seven minutes without losing momentum. “Peace and Noise” emphasizes Suli Breaks’ spoken word over what feels like a tropical house beat with restrained, percussive production.

Disc Two shifts to a softer palette, guided by Nathan Ball and Amelia Fox. “Meeting” is dreamlike and patient, the vocals circling gentle chord movements while synths glow beneath. “Driving” raises the tempo without breaking the spell, keeping the textures airy even as the rhythm tightens. “Thinking” stands as one of the album’s emotional anchors, stretching to eight minutes in a slow bloom of melancholy.

Then comes Disc Three, a single 24-minute piece titled “Champion Sound: Side 3 Book of Hours.” It unfolds like a long-form meditation, moving between ambient passages, toned down percussion and harmonic evolution. It is the most immersive portion of the release, and the moment where Faithless feels closest to their early instinct for spiritual club music. It’s transportive, steady and unhurried.

Disc Four closes the record with a return to vocal driven tracks. Suli Breaks reappears on “Find A Way,” pushing a message of perseverance. Bebe Rexha introduces a surprising pop edge on “Dollars and Dimes,” while LSK brings familiarity back on the concise “Champion Sound.” Emmanuel Jal adds a bright, rhythmic presence to “Emmanuel,” and Antony Szmierek ends the album on a reflective note with “Yes I Want It Too.”

Across its length, Champion Sound shows Faithless working from a place of reinvention, using collaboration and pacing to rebuild the architecture of their sound. It is patient, varied and quietly powerful, reaffirming the group’s ability to move bodies and minds at the same time.