Album Review: Eton Alive by Sleaford Mods
Sleaford Mods crank the nihilism to 11 and make bold experiments both musically and lyrically for their latest LP, Eton Alive
No other band gets modern Britain quite like the Nottingham duo Sleaford Mods. For the past half decade, Jason Williamson and Andrew Fearn have revealed and tackled the dark underside of British society.
From toxic masculinity to consumerism, austerity to Brexit, and of course the unrelenting class warfare conducted by the Etonian elite, nothing escapes Williamson’s ire. All the while, Fearn’s minimalist beats pepper and accentuate Williamson’s sardonic lyrics with often deceptively simple loops you can’t help but move to. And so with Brexit looming and a country falling apart at the seams as Britain’s austerity-inflicted wounds fester further, there is no better time to drop Eton Alive, Sleaford Mods’ new LP.
We all know what to expect from a Sleaford Mods album by now, but Eton Alive takes the tried-and-tested formula and runs with it. Like with any art, forms or styles can hone an artist’s creative talent, allowing it to flourish as they try to bend and play with the formula. With Eton Alive, you can always tell that this is Sleaford Mods - their distinct sound is here. But Eton Alive sees Williamson and Fearn push at the boundaries of the more traditional Mods formula. The result is an accomplished punk album that sees Sleaford Mods deliver a career best.
While this experimentation arguably began back with Tarantula Deadly Cargo on 2015’s Key Markets, every track on Eton Alive is an experiment in its own right. Fearn’s bass on O.B.C.T conjures a horrible dread that is absurdly juxtaposed with a kazoo solo, and it works. Kebab Spider’s two basslines weave in and out of each to make it an absolute belter. Then you have Firewall, the record’s strongest entry. Here, Fearn layers melodic beats to craft a song that has real pace, and Williamson’s lyrics complement the track perfectly.
“You don’t know you’re crying at all,
Because of your firewall”Firewall by Sleaford Mods
It would be wrong to suggest it’s only Fearn who is testing new waters on Eton Alive. Both lyrically and vocally, Williamson pushes himself too. On When You Come Up to Me, the surprisingly effective crooning from Williamson tackles the (self?)enforced isolation and individualism that’s now commonplace in British society. The fact that Williamson has gone sober since English Tapas makes Top It Up even more poignant as he rages at the self-destructive behaviour of the ecstasy generation. Big Burt meanwhile has perhaps the best bridge of the album, as Williamson fiercely repeats the lines:
“I don’t want God’s plan,
Is it £25 a month and free calls to the promised land?”
Longtime fans of Williamson’s writing will also revel in lyrics like Policy Cream’s:
“I’ve got two brown bins,
Should I only have one?
But what the council don’t know won’t hurt them”
But if the state of things is this shit, Williamson doesn’t come with a cure. There’s a sense of resignation here, and the nihilism rings loudest on tracks like Subtraction:
“It’s not enough anymore to want change
you have to do change
but the only change I like sits in my pocket
I’m a consumer”
Eton Alive doesn’t disappoint. It is absurdly hilarious, furious, and at all times nihilistic as fuck. It is Sleaford Mods at the height of their creative power. In 2019, it is essential.
Eton Alive by Sleaford Mods is out now on Extreme Eating Records.
