Punk music thrives in austerity. Sleaford Mods have been growing stronger with their unusual and electronic take on post-punk and spoken word poetry since 2007. The new album is out on Rough Trade Records on January the 16th.
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As a huge fan of Sleaford Mods this new album has left me with much to grapple with. Mostly, because both 2023’s UK Grim and 2021’s Spare Ribs were nearly perfect. UK Grim was one of our favourite albums of 2023 and absolutely nailed all the bizarre insanity of where post-Brexit, and post-lockdown Britain had ended up. The Demise of Planet X is far less of an even listen than either of those albums. However, it does contain some of the absolute best tracks that they have ever put out. Overall, it feels like vocalist Jason Williamson has lost a bit of the subtlety of his earlier work. Whilst there have always been sweary rants, this at times veers closer to a full-blown Tourrette’s outburst put out at intense levels. Perhaps that is the point we have reached, the world is so absurd that satire no longer cuts it. Pure anger is all we have left.
First single ‘Megaton’ didn’t quite have the oomph of recent singles like ‘UK Grim’ and ‘So Trendy’ though it improved a bit after a few listens. It initially felt like more of an album track. Second single, and album opener, ‘The Good Life’ was soooo much better. Between them, this pair of songs have set the tone for the album. The tracks with just the core unit of Williamson and beats creator Andrew Fearn are okay, the tracks with guest spots are nearly all a lot better – fresher and more inventive. ‘The Good Life’ is a bizarre but brilliant line-up. Black Country duo and Are You Listening? Festival headliners Big Special feel like a natural fit, though a surprising one. With their own brand of beat poetry, it could have been too similar a clash of styles. The key to success is that Joe Hicklin doesn’t talk or rap, he deploys his stunning, but too rarely used, singing voice and it absolutely makes the track. Williamson has said that despite multiple revisions of his parts the song still wasn’t working. It was only when Gwendoline Christie reached out as a fan of the band and offered to be in a video that everything clicked. Williamson got her to perform as another aspect of his psyche, offloading one of the verses onto her, and the intense and unexpected delivery from the Game Of Thrones actress absolutely raises it to another level. It is like having a favourite aunt pop-in and have some sort of mental breakdown in the middle of your afternoon tea.
The pattern continues. ‘Double Diamond’ is okay but not particularly interesting. Then New Zealand indie-folk singer Aldous Harding smashes ‘Elitest G.O.A.T’ out of the park. Williamson again seeming to do better when having a foil to spark off. The backing for the song almost veers into LCD Soundsystem territory with its high-keyed nagging piano line. It is one of the highlights of the album, then stops just as brilliantly in mid flow to the sound of someone ejecting the cassette tape from the player. The cassette ejection is one of several moments where the pair show their age. Williamson is a generally sprightly 56 and Fearn is 54. There are a few references that will likely go straight over the heads of younger listeners, “you wear crap clothes like Jasper Carrott” and the bizarre Tom Conti Shirley Valentine references of title track ‘The Demise of Planet X’ chief among them.
Following ‘Megaton’ is another great collaboration, the single ‘No Touch’ featuring Sue Tompkins, who was formerly in the indie band Life Without Buildings. The song is great, but the video somewhat upstages it with its four-legged friend Mr Biscuits. Another doggy social media star is born.
‘Bad Santa’ has decent backing but the tales of Donald Trump and Andrew Tate don’t quite achieve the desired lift-off. ‘The Demise of Planet X’ raises the biggest eyebrow with its almost rave-like take on the theme tune of the Magic Roundabout. ‘Gina Was’ is an odd sort of therapy, Williamson recalling a horrible event from his school days where a number of school pupils held him down and pulled his trousers off.
The band turn to local Nottingham artists to lift things again. First Liam Bailey appears on ‘Flood The Zone,’ though sadly gets cut off just as he is getting going. Then rapper Snowy appears on album highlight, ‘Kill List.’ The backing is some of the strongest and most interesting on the album. Williamson seems more focused here, blowing down target after target. Then Snowy takes over and keeps it right up there.
Overall it is a very solid effort with moments of outstanding brilliance. It just feels like a bit of a come down after the impossibly high standards they have maintained for the previous half a decade.
Essential Tracks: ‘The Good Life,’ ‘Elitest G.O.A.T,’ ‘No Touch’ and ‘Kill List.’
Preorder CD: https://amzn.to/4qb4mnJ
Preorder Vinyl: https://amzn.to/49JXgRm
Sleaford Mods are on tour throughout February and March. We will be catching them in Oxford.
- Glasgow Barrowland Ballroom (February 6)
- Manchester Academy (7)
- Leeds O2 Academy (12)
- Liverpool O2 Academy, (13)
- Cardiff Great Hall (14)
- Dublin 3Olympia Theatre (19)
- Belfast Limelight (20)
- Cork Cyprus Avenue (21)
- Oxford O2 Academy (26)
- Nottingham Rock City (27)
- Nottingham Rock City (28)
- Bristol Beacon (March 5)
- Brighton Dome (6)
- London O2 Academy Brixton (7)
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