Characteristically ordained in copious chip-on-shoulder sentiment, ‘Nudge It’ rails against class tourism, condemning the exploitation of working class environments for the aesthetic benefit of the posing upper class. Lead vocalist Jason Williamson illuminates his message with descriptions of these class-hopping villains: “Stood outside a high-rise trying to act like a gangster,” he repeats, like a demonic mantra to cool his own infuriation. Taylor’s own verse keeps the contempt and attitude at fever pitch, eventually joining Williamson in the chorus as they berate the inconsiderate posers.

Accompanying the single is a typical low-rent, high-attitude Mods music video, featuring Williamson, Taylor and other Mods musician, Andrew Fearn. The video presents all three artists walking and shouting down the derelict streets where such photo shoots might occur. Within the descriptive section of the YouTube video, however – a more subdued and sincere plea for such actions to cease taking place.

Williamson comments: “Imagine you’ve got limited options, unsure how you’re getting by that week, looking out the window of the damp flat you don’t want to live in, and seeing a bunch of posers having a photo shoot because ‘cool architecture bro, we feel your pain’.

“Reduced circumstance isn’t a pantomime. If you haven’t lived within its confines don’t use it to enamour your ideas. It confuses the platform for those that truly live it and more often than not buries creative breakthroughs because the arena is polluted by the view of their world through someone else’s privileged lense.

“So beware the eager networkers, don’t settle for the 20p payout, nudge it, pop the posers. And don’t apologise for the fucker either.” 

‘Spare Ribs’ is the duo’s sixth LP, following last year’s ‘All That Glue‘. The new album features 13 tracks including three singles: ‘Shortcummings’, ‘Mork n mindy’ and now ‘Nudge It‘. Nine fewer tracks than  ‘All That Glue’, but delivered with “crisp urgency and precision” according to Clash.

Along with their new album, the Sleaford Mods are premiering a new, hour-long  TV show – aptly dubbed SMTV – on 16th January at 8pm GMT, featuring appearances from Amy Taylor, previous collaborator Billy Nomates, rock legend Iggy Pop and more, as well as live footage from their 100 Club livestream. The Sleaford Mods are scheduled to take the new album on tour late this year, including a first headline arena show in their hometown of Nottingham. Find their full 2021 tour schedule below.

17/11/2021 – Academy – Manchester
18/11 – Barrowland – Glasgow
21/11 – Olympia – Dublin
24/11 – O2 Academy Newcastle – Newcastle
25/11 – O2 Academy Liverpool – Liverpool
26/11 – O2 Academy Oxford – Oxford
27/11 – Motorpoint Arena – Nottingham
30/11 – Tramshed – Cardiff
1/12 – O2 Academy Bristol – Bristol
2/12 – Printworks – London
3/12 – Dome – Brighton

Shortcummings is not a standalone single, but a part of Sleaford Mods’ upcoming record, Spare Ribs. A thirteen track piece, Spare Ribs will be the sixth studio album from the duo, and is scheduled for arrival on January 15th, 2021, via Rough Trade. 

Aside from its unmissable political undertones, Shortcummings is a head-banger. A simple yet beguiling bass riff opens, and remains the steady foundation of the track. 

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A steady, subtle tapping of a kick drum compliments the menacing bass riff perfectly. Before long, Jason Williams’ launches into his punk-fused croon.

Within the cryptic lyrics, it sounds like Williams is singing of a hypocritical being. Williams sings: “You have the vision when you move a notch/You get permission to be what you want” and “Baby, Dirty Dancing aka another crisis next to the magazine stand/Where’s our picture on the front of this magazine, man?”

During the chorus, Mods call out Cummings directly. Mods sing: “He’s gonna get all his dreams/He’s got short, short, short, short, shortcummings/He’s gonna mess himself so much/But it’s all gonna mess himself so much/But it’s all gonna come down hard” 

 

 

 

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Jason Williams, one half of Sleaford Mods, relayed that the song was inspired by the “increased unelected presence” of Cummings, who was plastered all over the media for his terrible treatment of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. This certainly rings true in the track, as Williams explains “The arrogance of the privileged generally leads to short, short, shortcummings in a momentary centre stage at the cost of untold human misery and exploitation of public money.”

William continued, holding nothing back when  talking of the ex-Cabinet advisor. Williams stated: “In the case of Cummings who exactly knows what he lost when he walked out of No10’s front door. It looked staged or given what I suspect is his sense of intellectual superiority, perhaps one last show of bizarre defiance.”

The music video to Shortcummings was also released to Sleaford Mods’ official YouTube channel earlier today. Featuring Jason Williams jamming out bathed in fluorescent pink light, the music video can be watched in full here. 

Sleaford Mods took to Instagram to ring in their new release. Sharing a snippet to the Shortcummings video, Sleaford Mods said Spare Ribs is available to preorder, confirming that the “link is in the bio” for fans to do so. Gathering over 7000 views, the post was met with excitement from fans. 

Spare Ribs will be out on January 15th, 2021. Spare Ribs can be preordered here. The tracklisting for the record can be found in full below: 

1. The New Brick
2. Shortcummings
3. Nudge It (feat. Amy Taylor of Amyl and the Sniffers)
4. Elocution
5. Out There
6. Glimpses
7. Top Room
8. Mork n Mindy (feat. Billy Nomates)
9. Spare Ribs
10. All Day Ticket
11. Thick Ear
12. I Don’t Rate You
13. Fishcakes