Sam Fender – People Watching (Friday 21st February 2025) 9/10
Sam Fender’s journey from playing North East pubs and propping up UK day festival lineups, to selling out stadiums and transforming into a major festival headliner, has been admirable and inspiring in a tough industry to crack. But it’s nothing more than he deserves.
After arriving in the mainstream as the BRITS’ Critic’s Choice with the raw indie debut “Hypersonic Missiles” in 2019, the North Shields star would elevate and mature further on his major breakthrough follow-up “Seventeen Going Under”, which propelled Fender to new heights internationally.
Now, incredibly four years on from that sophomore success, Sam Fender returns with “People Watching”, once again battling personal, societal and family struggles, but this time from a more mature perspective as he balances the life he once knew as a regular kid in a small North Eastern town, with being a 30-year-old in a new-found spotlight.
Opening with the stadium-ready title track, “People Watching” was the comeback statement Fender needed under the pressures of his previous album’s overwhelming success. It sets the tone. The much needed opening goal from the heavy home favourite.
“Nostalgia’s Lie” is the first taste of the new album tracks. The first sense of the album’s themes. Sam is battling inner struggles, searching for safety, security and home comforts. “These streets break my heart”, the second track broaches death and memories of youth, as Fender reminisces about the times he had nothing and recognises that many back home still don’t. He isn’t taking the world for granted; Nostalgia’s lie is a sense of being grounded against the backdrop of being one of the biggest names in UK music right now.
“Chin Up” is Sam battling mental health and societal struggles. “Moving to the rhythm of it, can’t be responsible for everybody”; Sam wants to help people out in his fortunate position but recognises the impossibility of the task, despite the fact it frustrates and affects him mentally. In a “one horse town” Sam wants to break free, and has the opportunity to break free.
“Wild Long Lie” follows, the album’s second single. And there are glaring nods to previous single “The Kitchen”, as Jimmy rears his head once again. He is “back to the bathroom” and “back to the kitchen”, slipping back into old habits and old company. The setting feels like the afterparty, as it did with “The Kitchen”. “I think I need to leave this town” – again he is craving freedom that he can now attain. The town sometimes holds Sam back but he can’t let go.
“Arm’s Length” could be the catchiest single Fender has produced to date. This hook is on repeat, and it doesn’t get tired. The third single is effortless in its nature – “do you have to know me, know me inside out?”. Well, fans will certainly know this one inside out by now. There is more to the track than just a catchy hook though. Where previously in the album the people or groups Sam knows may have had a detrimental effect on him, he is seeking something fresh and not necessarily something safe and comfortable here.
And rather fitting, as we move into the first sign of sonic contrast from his previous offering, with “Crumbling Empire”. It feels slightly layered with “Toto – Africa” vibes, and the title is yet another reference to his perception of the UK today.
“A Little Bit Closer” is one of the finest examples of Sam refining his craft on album three. The production is tight, from the harmonies to the instrumentals, blended together perfectly and allowing his bandmates and friends to flourish together on a track.
It is followed by an album highlight in the shape of “Rein Me In”; a beautiful jangly intro and under-layer for a powerful 05:39 album track. Encapsulating the themes of “People Watching” perfectly, the song is deeply reflective, again analysing his youth from a mature head. “Please don’t rein me in”, “working myself up to a nice warm bliss”, and “memories ringing like Tinnitus”. The balance between home struggles and new-found freedom.
“TV Dinner” is Sam’s biggest leap sonically to date. With a soft synth element, this could well be a fan favourite come next week, with an electronic, spacey sound and a potential opening for a new future direction should Sam wish to expand his musical horizons further. It has a wonderfully theatrical build-up; Sam telling home truths in a style comparable to “White Privilege” on the debut. The theatre of it feels like the end of Act 1, the big build before the curtains come down. It feels powerful, like you have experienced a moment, something important. And then we have the minute-long outro to reflect on those feelings.
The penultimate track, “Something Heavy”, feels American-inspired, like Fender has been swept away into the folk and country resurgence of the mainstream music scene and this is a nod to that. Its light nature maybe doesn’t prepare you for the final number, but it makes for a nice bit of chill time between “TV Dinner” and “Remember My Name”.
The album closer is the recent single dedicated to Sam’s grandparents, with the title referencing his grandmother’s dementia. It feels a poignant and fitting way to end the album. There is an operatic, theatrical element again to its delivery. This is an emotional send-off song to two people who clearly made his childhood and memories growing up so special.
While “People Watching” may not be seen as pushing many sonic boundaries from album one and two, there is a clear feeling of a craft being refined and perfected, as Sam’s undeniable talents as a lyricist and musician, accompanied by a tight-knit band of friends, shines as a collective piece of art.
The beauty of the record is in the messaging. This is Sam Fender’s most powerful album to date, and a true coming of age story.
Sam Fender’s third album “People Watching” is out at midnight tonight (Friday 21st February 2025)!
Words: Sean Marsh
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