People Watching (2025) - Sam Fender

Sam Fender has been blazing a trail since his 2019 debut 'Hypersonic Missiles'. Despite looks that could land him on Love Island, Fender is a unique beast. His music is what should be a very unfashionable brand of whole-hearted Americana, but instead of talking about the lost wheat fields of Kansas, the subject matter very much focuses on working class life in the UK, sung in a thick Geordie accent.

And so, after the massive critical and commercial success of his last album, the brilliant 'Seventeen Going Under' (2021), Fender is back with 'People Watching'. The entire album was produced by Adam Granduciel of War on Drugs fame and it appears to be a match made in heaven as, with this album, we see 31-year old Sam take the leap into a fully realised artist and potential superstardom. 

The album begins with the titular track and first single and it is immediately clear that we are swinging for the proverbial fences here. 'People Watching' is a positively joyous anthem that seems almost made for the stadium-sized crowds young Sammy boy is now going to have to get used to playing. It is very 'War on Drugs', with Granduciel adding his trademark euphoric synths and driving rhythms to proceedings while Fender sings about watching the residents of his home town 'on the treadmill running' and waiting for the 'whole town to fall'. It is a brilliant song that will be lighting up festivals in the years to come and serves as a great statement of intent to open the album. 

The tempo slows a wee bit for 'Nostalgia's Lie', which is a gorgeous, sun-soaked, song and you start to see immediately what Sam Fender does better than anyone in his generation. Even though he is only 31 years old, and looks even younger, there is a maturity to the song-writing on display that belies his years. Yet again, this is simply a great song and it's hard not to feel it deep in the soulbone when his plaintive tenor wail kicks in. This is earnest music that obviously means a lot to the artist, and that is a thing to behold. 

Same goes for the next two tracks - 'Chin Up' and 'Wild Long Lie', another couple of mid-tempo, stadium sized songs that really show the growth of Fender as an artist. Whereas before you always felt that kind of frustrated young male angst in his music, despite it's greatness, this all feels like another level has been stepped up to. You can imagine these songs appealing to all ages, demographics and tastes. They're just great songs. One of the strengths of Sam Fender over the years, the unflinching ability to pour his heart and soul into the lyrics of his songs, is on display all over the place, but there is less angst - almost as if that valve has finally been released - and what's left is someone who has developed the ability to write great music that draws you in and punches you in the gall bladder. Isn't that what we all want at the end of the day? 

'Arm's Length' is another warm sing-along belter that will be sung by large crowds all summer, and 'Crumbling Empire' is a damning indictment of what seems to be the current state of the UK, with Fender talking about his own personal experiences to highlight the flaws in society - 'my stepdad drove a tank for the crown, it left him homeless down and out, in this crumbling empire'. Songs like this certainly lend themselves to the Geordie Springsteen tag, but damn it if you can't enjoy someone unashamedly wearing their heart on the old sleeve. Great stuff. 

A lush orchestra supports the next track 'Little Bit Closer' giving it, yet again, a sweeping epic feel and this is followed by what is for me the album highlight 'Rein Me In'. It's a simple song about a relationship gone wrong but it lands hard. Especially when Fender wails about how he 'fucked it up' and we are treated to a saxophone-led crescendo that just soars, creating the most romantic song ever written which references a viral inner ear infection. Probably.

At this point in the album, a moment should be taken to offer up maximum respect to the addition of the saxophone to a number of these tracks. Yes, again, it's Springsteen-esque but every appearance elevates the song. I defy anyone to not get in their feels when Johnny 'Bluehat' Davis blows those pipes with what feels like his entire being. Again, all very unfashionable. But brilliant nonetheless. 

'TV Dinner' is the one and only song on the album which overtly goes back into 'angry young male' territory and is very angsty. However, the ominous orchestra and sheer passion in which Fender delivers lines like "posh c*nt's got me irate" is hard to ignore. It's certainly a departure in terms of this particular suite of songs but, as with all good albums, still seems to fit. The last two tracks feature both the most forgettable and show-stopping number back to back. 'Something Heavy' is an okay track but pales in comparison to everything that has gone before it. As a simple pop song it just about works, but probably won't last long in the memory bank. The same cannot be said of album closer 'Remember My Name'. A stripped down number about his beloved grandmother's struggle with dementia, it pulls at the heart strings and you can't help but be moved by such a passionate and earnest effort. Backed only by an accompaniment of horns, Sam sings his wee heart out. A stunning way to finish an album. 

As mentioned earlier, this feels like a leap forward and a big stride towards genuine superstardom. The song writing throughout is superb, the musicianship flawless and the entire album is, quite simply, a collection of great songs. Whatever the next chapter holds for Sam Fender, this album will surely prove to be a highlight of his career and the title of Geordie Springsteen might finally be fully earned. 

★★★★☆

JB.