Sleaford Mods have shared a new single featuring former Life Without Buildings singer Sue Tompkins – listen to ‘No Touch’ below.
The collaborative track is the latest preview of the Nottingham duo’s eighth studio album ‘The Demise Of Planet X’, which is due for release on January 16 via Rough Trade. Pre-order/pre-save here.
Recorded at Invada Studios in Bristol, ‘No Touch’ began life when frontman Jason Williamson and Tompkins traded lyrical ideas through voice notes. These were later set to Andrew Fearn’s minimal beats and music box-like motif.
This process led to the Mods creating “a charming and almost playful quality” to their music.
“Sue sent me some crude voice notes with some ideas she’d done in her kitchen, which I thought were brilliant,” explained Williamson, who was introduced to Tompkins by Jeannette Lee and Geoff Travis at Rough Trade Records.
He continued: “Sue came down to the studio in Bristol for two days to record with us. She had a cold at the time, but it added to the track. She had all these little quirky one-liners we put at the start and end of the song.
“I wrote the chorus, but she expanded on that a little bit with some of her own lyrics, so she was an amazing collaborator. The song itself explores the murky exploits of drug use, the kind of exhibitionism that goes along with it.”
Tompkins added: “When I was asked to record with Sleaford Mods, I just had a sort of immediate, big urge/surge to say yes!”
“Just listening to what Jason sent me initially, the feeling there was some sort of sadness or longing or intimacy or regret, just very emotive to me. So, I just responded in a way which hopefully emphasises that vulnerability.”
‘No Touch’ is accompanied by an official music video, shot on location in Dartford, close to the childhood home of director Andrea Arnold.
The Academy Award-winner is behind films such as American Honey, Bird and Wuthering Heights. She created the unique performance visuals by combining the band and Tompkins with a selection of extras and Kent locals. Tune in above.
Arnold said: “I had such a lovely day making the video with the Sleafords and Sue Tompkins. The shoot reminded me of days out to Margate with my family. It was bonkers, chaotic and funny – and we got chips on the way home!
“I had such a good time working with them all. Although we all do different things, we were all somehow connected. Our work and lives all intermingled. Lovely.”
Williamson went on: “‘No Touch’ couldn’t have been captured by anyone else. Andrea Arnold fits perfectly with its soft nightmare theme.
“‘No Touch’ is colourful and full of heavy realism, a kitchen sink drama. It is a song about isolation, loneliness and crushing self-harm that we all try to navigate, I suppose, under the rigid structures of conformity.”
He concluded: “Andrea took us back to her old neighbourhood, which also felt very familiar to me. The video, like her films, doesn’t end in total black out, but it trails hope too.”
Tompkins has hosted a series of successful art shows since Life Without Buildings broke up in 2002.
Speaking to NME about ‘The Demise Of Planet X’ this autumn, Williamson hailed Tompkins as an “absolutely fantastic” artist. “I wasn’t aware of Life Without Buildings or Sue before the sessions,” he continued.
“We’d been liaising a lot with Rough Trade on this album because of their wealth of knowledge. We had a meeting about it and they were like, ‘Have you heard of Sue Tompkins?’ I hadn’t, so they sent me their album and her voice was just beautiful.
“We had a lengthy phone call, she came to Bristol and she did it in about three hours. She had a cold as well, which kind of adds to it. You know it’s her, but it reminded me of ‘Debut’ era Björk. It was quite punky.”
Sleaford Mods are embarking on a UK and Ireland headline tour in 2026. See the full list of dates below, and buy any remaining tickets here. The band are donating £1/€1 from every ticket sold to War Child.
Last month, the duo announced details of some “low income tickets” for their upcoming gigs, creating more affordable options for those who are struggling financially.
Sleaford Mods’ 2026 UK and Ireland tour dates are:
FEBRUARY
06 – Barrowland Ballroom, Glasgow
07 – Academy, Manchester
12 – O2 Academy, Leeds
13 – O2 Academy, Liverpool
14 – Great Hall, Cardiff
19 – 3Olympia, Dublin
20 – Limelight, Belfast
21 – Cyprus Avenue, Cork
26 – O2 Academy, Oxford
27 – Rock City, Nottingham
28 – Rock City, Nottingham
MARCH
05 – Bristol Beacon, Bristol
06 – Brighton Dome, Brighton
07 – O2 Academy Brixton, London
‘The Demise Of Planet X’ will also feature the previous singles ‘Megaton’, ‘The Good Life’ and ‘Bad Santa’.
In other news, Sleaford Mods were recently announced as headliners for Deer Shed Festival 2026.
