Rob’s Album of The Week: Sleaford Mods’ UK Grim

Over the past 15 years, Sleaford Mods have been one of the most consistently prolific bands to come out of the United Kingdom. The Nottingham based duo of vocalist Jason Williamson and multi-instrumentalist Andrew Fearn have been releasing new material on a yearly basis whether it’s a full-length, an EP or a compilation. While doing this, the music they create together has always been interesting & intriguing while forging a sound only they can pull off. Their 12th LP, UK Grim, that came out via Rough Trade Records on March 10 is another installment of an artistic approach that defies proper classification. Ultimately, putting a label on it doesn’t matter when the songs are really cool and very unique.

Versus the band’s previous full-length, Spare Ribs, that came out back in 2021, this is more of a return to their minimalist roots. The combination of drums, bass & synth from Fearn have a distinct rawness this time around. Williamson’s vocals also don’t have him doing as much singing and harmonizing as before. He’s gone back to doing more of the poetic ranting that’s become Sleaford Mods’ trademark and it’s a bit refreshing to be honest. This is nothing against their previous material, but it’s nice sometimes when a band goes back to doing what made them great in the first place.