Out now: Sleaford Mods – The Demise Of Planet X

Sleaford Mods announce additional headline shows in Hobart and Perth, part of their upcoming Australian and New Zealand 2026 tour. Tickets on sale from 1pm local time here.

This week Sleaford Mods teamed up with Aldous Harding for their new single, ‘Elitest G.O.A.T’, which was released on Tuesday, and taken from the band’s new album, The Demise Of Planet X, out today.

Pulsing with chiming synths and propulsive beats, ‘Elitest G.O.A.T’ is a bittersweet soundtrack to modern life as this melodic gem mixes 21st-century angst, social bravado, Daleks and light-as-a-cloud vocals from the incomparable Harding.

“When we did the bare bones of Elitest G.O.A.T. it unnerved me because it almost sounded like a small band because for the bassline we really took influence from progressive music like David Bowie’s Low.” explains Williamson. “But Andrew always comes up with something really good and tasteful, and his beat ticking away pulls it back into Sleaford Mods. As I put the vocal on, I knew it was a goer. We’ve created something a bit different, and Aldous Harding really helped with that. She is brilliant on this track, and it is one of my favourites on the album. It’s such a good song.”

Andrew Fearn and Jason Williamson’s collaboration with the New Zealand singer-songwriter came from their long-standing friendship and artistic relationship. The Sleaford Mods frontman provided guest vocals on ‘Leathery Whip’, a song from Harding’s 2022 album Warm Chris, and so they knew exactly who to ask when ‘Elitest G.O.A.T’ drew Sleaford Mods onto fresh territory.

“We asked Aldous if she’d be up for doing the business for us, and luckily, she was over here recording,” adds Williamson. “So, she joined us in the studio in Bristol. That day at Invada Studios was very special. I felt like we’d really accomplished something.”

A video for Elitest G.O.A.T is available to watch now. Mixing a host of thought-provoking found footage with the band and Aldous Harding’s own imagery, it has been directed by John Minton.

“The video is a feeding frenzy of images,” explains Minton who has just made his feature-length directorial debut with the thriller Game. “Vampires and sharks chomping through themes of infighting, herd mentality, privilege, fear and escapism. Get taken for a ride. Outright.”

“We wanted a video that reflected the banal energy of people posturing in the face of other people’s pain and misery,” adds Williamson. “Not everyone is guilty of this, obviously, but recently there’s been a wave of souvenir-shop activism set against the backdrop of our collectively failing societies. I was drawn to the ideas in Mark Fisher’s Exiting The Vampire Castle, particularly its critique of an imploding Left, alongside imagery of time-warped nothingness and collective conformity. John captures this perfectly: an odd slab of cold, passionless pictures.”

In addition to the new single, Sleaford Mods are toasting the release of The Demise Of Planet X with a collaboration with Ilkley Brewery, who have produced two beers to accompany the album.

Available in both as a 4% IPA and an alcohol-free lager, both versions are gluten-free and are available from the brewery’s website at www.ilkleybrewery.co.uk.

“We often have ‘The Mods’ playing in the background in our brewhouse, and so when the call came, I don’t think anyone here hesitated for a second,” explains Ilkley Brewery’s Rich Thackray. “We were always confident that we would brew stand-out beers, and collaborating with Jason and Andrew has been incredible. The cans look great as well as tasting great, and I can’t wait to see the beer pouring at music venues and bars across the UK to coincide with the forthcoming Tour.”

Inspired by the new album’s artwork, the cans feature Andrew Fearn on the IPA and Jason Williamson on the lager.

“Charting the end of days is thirsty work, so cheers to Ilkley Brewery for being on hand to quench our thirst,” declares Williamson of the link-up. “They are proper G.O.A.Ts with the hops, so I encourage everyone to raise a glass to The Demise Of Planet X.”

Five pence from the sale of every can and 10p from every pint pulled will be donated by Ilkley Brewery to War Child, continuing Sleaford Mods longstanding association with the charity.

Pre-order / pre-save The Demise Of Planet X here.

Sleaford Mods 2026 Australian & New Zealand Tour

Fri 10 Apr – Freo Arts Centre, Perth *NEW SHOW*
Sat 11 Apr – Perth FAC Front Lawn *SOLD OUT*
Tue 14 Apr – Melbourne Forum
Thu 16 Apr – Odeon Theatre, Hobart *NEW SHOW*
Fri 17 Apr – Sydney Enmore Theatre
Sun 19 Apr – Adelaide Hindley St Music Hall
Tue 21 Apr – Brisbane Tivoli
Thu 23 Apr, – Wellington Meow Nui
Sat 25 Apr, 2026 – Auckland Powerstation

Tickets on sale now at handsometours.com
*Tickets for new shows on sale at 1pm local time Friday 15th January