I was recently reading an interview with Jason Williamson, the angry barker guy from Sleaford Mods, about some of his favorite musicians. First on the list was Aldous Harding, which I found fascinating given the stylistic gulf between them, though it doesn't surprise me at all that a gruff hardass like Williamson would be into an oblique-weirdo singer-songwriter like Harding. Here's what he said about her:
I was in Tasmania at a festival in 2020, just before lockdown. We were headlining this little festival. So we went along and it was in the middle of this bizarre country, and there she was on stage, leering over an acoustic guitar, like a young John Lydon, almost. And I thought, who the fuck is this?! But she had this music that was very minimal. And a voice that was steeped in the past but also very contemporary sounding. And yeah, I watched it and was quite taken by it, and I sat there for the rest of the gig, and I never normally do that. Before I know it, I’m stood there and she’s behind me – again, just leering at me [laughs]. So I introduced myself, we got talking and shared a lift home that night back to the same hotel, and we’ve kept in touch. It’s an all-rounder relationship with Hannah – I really like her music and she’s a friend as well.
At the time, I didn't realize Harding was a guest on The Demise Of Planet X, the new Sleaford Mods album out this week. Her song with the Nottingham duo is out today. It's called "Elitest G.O.A.T.," and it follows the Mods' collabs with Sue Tompkins of Life Without Buildings and Gwendolyn Christie & Big Special. I thought Tompkins sounded odd within the crisp, clattering beats, but Harding is an ideal complement to Williamson. It helps that the briskly sinister piano-pop vibe of this particular track — sort of like Sorry remaking Belle & Sebastian's "Dylan In The Movies" — makes it feel less like she's venturing into their territory and more like they're meeting up in a pleasing neutral space.
Watch John Minton's video for "Elitest G.O.A.T." below.
The Demise Of Planet X is out 1/16 on Rough Trade.
