These were my thoughts when I listened to Sam Fender's new album People Watching for the first time
The new release is a change of pace for the North Tyneside star.
After a long, patient wait by fans, the time has finally come for Sam Fender to release his third album. Put out to the world on Friday, February 21 ‘People Watching’ brings an end to the ‘Seventeen Going Under’ period of Fender’s career - a hugely impressive time which saw the star go from performing at the old Academy in Newcastle to selling out consecutive nights at St James Park.
The third album has been quite the wait for fans, with Seventeen Going Under released back in October 2021 and, while a live album of his huge Finsbury Park show was released in 2022, fans have been clinging onto any hope of further full length releases.
Well, the wait is finally over and now we have another 45 minutes of music from Fender who, as anyone who follows the North Tyneside star on social media knows, has been years of work in the making.
So let’s see how it all comes together.
I’ll be honest, I wasn’t overly excited by the initial singles as part of the album rollout. The title track, and it turns out album opener, sonically felt like a song which could have slotted relatively easily into the previous album, but it seems to work as an album opener on an initial listen. Rather than throwing the audience into a new sound a la Yard Act, the opener feels like a solid transition from one effort into the next, and releasing it as the first single makes a lot of sense.
Heading into Nostalgia’s Lie, the second track on the album, feels like a refreshing change from the more charged opener leans much further into the more mature sound Fender has been teasing through his time in the studio over the last couple of years. “I won’t take this world for granted” resonates well for a man who has had his health struggles and is a working class artist who can truly say they have made it to the higher echelons of the UK music scene.
The second single Wild Long Lie was also a track I didn’t click with as a single, but once again works better within the context of the album. This really feels like Fender putting his flag in the ground of the new sound, and the twinges of Rumours era Fleetwood Mac are hugely appreciated - the little segments of (what I think is) mandolin work really well to keep the song more delicate than it may have sounded otherwise.
Working with these sounds makes a lot of sense when reading about who Fender worked with during these sessions and what he was listening to for influence. The Lindisfarne sound is evident as we head into Crumbling Empire. Here the lyrics really start to head to the forefront with Fender questioning his place - to take the assumption he is singing about his own experience. Even if it isn’t, the lines resonate well as someone who has clearly put in blood, sweat and tears to reach the point of this release. Extra points for the lone guitar towards the end of the track - it’s a really nice touch to add an added touch of dynamism.
The lyrical emphasis continues into the next track Little Bit Closer, where a similar lone guitar sound rings clear. It is also at this point the introduction of Brooke Bentham to Fender’s touring setup makes a lot of sense. The more expansive sound adds to the emotion of the track with the sound building and widening in a way which still works brilliantly within the wider album - kudos to the production team on this one!
Moving into the final tracks and Reign Me In returns us to the undertones of Lindisfarne and Fleetwood Mac while TV Dinner feels like a change of tone, sounding more haunting as Fender heads into the heavy topic of the weight which comes from fame as an artist. It’s a real standout for me, but is a track which could never have worked as a promotional single!
The clear influences return into Something Heavy before Remember My Name - the closing track which is the only single which forged a real reaction from myself, and it still holds the same weight as when it was released a matter of days before the album itself.
It is a truly stunning effort from Fender, who contorts his voice with the help of a County Durham brass band.
After a tough period of health scares, cancelled gigs and being stuck in studios on both sides of the Atlantic, Fender can proudly step away from the recording process proud of what he has created. The radio friendly singles may not be there compared to his first two albums but the heart, vulnerability and themes make for a breathtaking experience as a listener - and I’m sure I’ll pick up more nuances as the listens continue.