Sleaford Mods' 13th album shows new vulnerability and broadened sound

Sleaford Mods, the duo of Jason Williamson (words) and Andrew Fearn (music), widen their appeal on their 13th LP, The Demise Of Planet X. Over the course of a dozen albums they have moved from DIY to the album chart Top 5 by providing bleak, absurdist commentary on recent social and political life.

Williamson again plays a potty-mouthed bystander, baffled and infuriated by what goes on around him, from empty lives in the digital age ("Weights and wanking / Hard bodies and phone lights / That's all we got") to Trump’s US ("Maga’s off their tits") and minor daily irritants such as "Lazy dog walkers on short walks, mate, wanker!" The pair have long addressed the financial crash, austerity, Brexit and the rise of the far right.

New developments on the album include a welcome vulnerability from Williamson on "Gina Was", about a childhood incident, and Fearn's subtler production, which ventures beyond electro-punk to include classical strings on "Double Diamond". Collaborators range widely: Game of Thrones actor Gwendoline Christie delivers a furious rap and Big Special contributes a David Bowie-ish croon on "The Good Life".

On the unexpectedly charming highlight "No Touch", Williamson duets with former Life Without Buildings singer Sue Tompkins, who teases out the human behind his grumpy facade with lines such as "You're not miserable, you're nice", as he protests "I'm not".

Key Topics

Culture, Sleaford Mods, Jason Williamson, Andrew Fearn, Gwendoline Christie, Sue Tompkins