Album Review: Spare Ribs by Sleaford Mods

Spare Ribs

Sleaford Mods 

Rough Trade Records 

Score: B-

Punk duo Sleaford Mods’ new album Spare Ribs is a social commentary that’s not only humorous but also grounded in reality. With Andrew Fearn on the beats and Jason Williamson on vocals, this duo sounds like something you would hear at a local pub on a night out with some close friends. This is not diminutive towards Sleaford Mods, however, as they just feel close to home and perhaps obscure in their popularity. 

Their music oozes personality. Fearn uses layered synthesized beats as Williamson’s voice springs into our ears like a wake-up call. Sleaford Mods come off as two gents trying to navigate a slippery slope of a world while seeing the curtains fall all around them. They inject a healthy dose of cynicism and humour into their music while unabashedly commenting on the state of society as they see it. 

While their topics and lyrics may seem mostly geared at an English audience, the album still has lyrics that ring true no matter where or who you are. In “Out There”, Williamson sings, “There’s always animals singing on every day. No cars to drown the noise of this. Just queues for the clinic and 6 ft. conversation.” These simple lines serve to illustrate the apparent desolate feeling of limited social contact and for a band to capture this so accurately was a pleasant surprise for the start of 2021. 

— Keoputhy Bunny