Sleaford Mods: The Demise of Planet X

"He's a yeller, a brawler, a complainer with a quick fuse, mad about his job and whatever he saw on TV. Although the title of Sleaford Mods' 13th album, The Demise of Planet X, references a mid-'90s doomsday theory, the environs will be plenty familiar to listeners-in Williamson's England, apocalypse is a day ending in Y. The Nottingham outfit dramatizes the ravages of austerity and class warfare, distilling elements of punk, rap, and electronica into a chest-thumping fury."

"The spoken-word format of "Double Diamond" reveals Williamson's instinctual tics, gripes about affordability and the food supply curdling into snipes at addicts and criminals. Like a man shaking a fist from his stoop, he's an unhinged force of nature who, nevertheless, makes some compelling points. The couplets rhyme-mostly-but his rhythms are irregular, more implicit than embodied. It's bright and unassuming vocal theater, Williamson inhabiting multiple characters, adding friction to a slice-of-life tableau."

The Demise of Planet X presents Jason Williamson as a confrontational narrator whose on-wax persona channels anger at work, class, and everyday life. Vocal delivery often takes spoken-word form, with irregular couplets, abrupt rhythms, and character-driven rants that mix grievance and dark humor. Andrew Fearn supplies austere, loop-based production: rigid, factory-like patterns, drum-and-bass movements, and repetitive textures that bolster the lyrics' agitation. Songs like "Double Diamond" and "Elitest G.O.A.T." showcase biting social observations and sturdy percussion, while the title track and "Don Draper" introduce busier, warmer instrumental touches. Occasional tonal shifts can feel uneasy but deepen the record's immediacy.

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