In recent years, Sleaford Mods have moved on somewhat from sounding like an insistent and angry drunk yelling over a cheap Casio keyboard. Fortunately, not too much, though.
Andrew Fearn and Jason Williamson’s potty-mouthed, minimalist punk-funk is still one of the sharper musical commentaries of the UK’s seeming demise and their style fits the subject matter like a glove. Angry, harsh and taking absolutely no prisoners. Sleaford Mods are the perfect soundtrack to a country that over-estimates its worth, while blithely strutting towards the edge of a steep cliff. As John Peel used to say about the Fall, they are “always the same, always different” but they are always worth a listen – as is the case with their latest long-player, The Demise of Planet X.
With the assistance of a fine array of collaborators from Big Special, former Life Without Buildings’ frontwoman Sue Tompkins, Aldous Harding, Liam Bailey, MC Snowy and Game of Thrones’ actor Gwendoline Christie, Andrew Fearn and Jason Williamson skewer the self-proclaimed top dogs with the speedy “Elitest G.O.A.T.” and the fakes and the frauds on “Megaton”. They give toxic masculinity a good kicking on “Bad Santa” and batter the idiocy of the MAGA fools on “Flood the Zone”. All with a wry smirk and a can of lager in one hand.
Of course, if yacht rock is your thing, Sleaford Mods’ more expansive sound is still not going to be anywhere near tuneful and melodic enough for you. However, the hip-swinging bassline of “No Touch”, ambient electronica of “Shoving the Images” and grime beats of “Kill List” are more than enough to burnish The Demise of Planet X with a greater variety of sounds than has often previously been the case. While the surrealist insults like “You wear crap clothes like Jasper Carrott” on “The Good Life”, delivered at machine gun speed, will encourage plenty of belly laughs with each play of this fine musical introduction to 2026.
