Album Review: The Demise Of Planet X by Sleaford Mods

'Much hasn't come in the way of good shit / Now MAGA's on the tightrope / MAGA's off their tits / The pied piper can't handle this / You better flood the zone with shit / The pied piper can't handle worms / This Domestos kills all germs'. Or so we are told on Flood the Zone, a standout moment on Sleaford Mods' latest album, The Demise of Planet X. This kind of jawing is typical of vocalist Jason Williamson: semi-political, invariably absurdist, and bordering on incoherent.

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For a duo who seemed to arrive fully-formed, Jason Williamson and Andrew Fearn have managed to wring remarkable reserves of range from a threadbare set-up across a prolific 10 years. Anatomising the nation's banality-induced slow decline, The Demise Of Planet X treats wretched times as the spur to re-energise creative momentum. Developed across Abbey Road, Invada and Nottingham studios with more guests, tones and raw feelings than ever, the record nudges Sleaford Mods into fresh turf, seeking out surprise sounds for shocking times and hidden depths in Williamson's agitated fusillades.

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Sleaford Mods have never needed spectacle to describe collapse. On 'The Demise of Planet X', apocalypse is framed through repetition, exhaustion, and diminishing meaning rather than event or drama. Planet X is not a distant or futuristic setting, but a recognisable version of post-Armageddon Britain, where conditions simply continue without improvement.

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Since 2021's 'Spare Ribs', Sleaford Mods have kept their trusty formula fresh by adding a few new voices here and there, and it's this approach they've continued with on 'The Demise of Planet X', with collaborations including Aldous Harding, Sue Tompkins, and fellow Nottingham artists Snowy and Liam Bailey. Most notable of all, though, is 'The Good Life', on which a hypnotic chorus comes courtesy of Big Special, and its electrifying third verse sees Jason Williamson hand over the mic to Game of Thrones star Gwendoline Christie. It's such a mesmeric and infectious track that unfortunately bears a curse; its most interesting and illuminating parts come without the frontman's signature bark.

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