Sleaford Mods announce forthcoming EP, More UK GRIM

Andrew Fearn and Jason Williamson’s forthcoming EP, More UK Grim, was recorded at the same time as their acclaimed album, UK GRIM, which was released earlier this year.

Lead single Big Pharma, shares a ‘take no prisoners’ lyrical approach with the band’s recent album as it casts a doubtful eye down the ‘truther’ wormhole. The track, which sets the tone for the More UK GRIM EP, is accompanied by a sharply satirical animated video directed by Sean Sears, who has applied his distinctive, stylised 2D vision to examining the consequences of a health ‘philosophy’ that prizes drinking urine over carefully researched medical treatments.

“"Big Pharma" was written in the opening chapters of autumn 2022 when Covid kicked in again. It carries a lot of the normal Sleaford Mods absurdism but also looks at the ongoing fascination with trying to find truths in information wholly pushed by very questionable people,” explains Jason Williamson.

“The term ‘Big Pharma’ has been uprooted from its original place, one that rightly threw critique at the pharmaceutical industry as it produced more and more products that would ruin lives on a mass scale. Instead now, 'Big Pharma' is more familiar as a term used by right wing and industrial groups trying to mask the financial aims of their arguments with some kind of critical thinking panache-type legitimacy. It just feels wrong. It feeds on hopelessness, widespread fear and generations of unfettered misinformation linked to the limited critical perception we as the masses are burdened with.”

Williamson adds that Sleaford Mods’ song does not excuse those peddling the terms as part of some sort of faceless political/industrial complex, as it also pokes fun at keyboard warriors who really should engage their own brains before posting.

“There has to be lots of personal responsibility held to account too,” he suggests. “Recently 'Big Pharma' has been adopted by the anti-trans movement, so you can see that high performance bigotry and personal financial interest are never too far away. Much like the next version of the latest smart phone, the features are largely the same.”

Tracklist:

1. Under The Rules
2. Old Nottz
3. Big Pharma
4. PO Crazeh
5. My 18hr Girdle
6. Old Nottz (Alt mix)