Noah Kahan, Gracie Abrams, Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter – these are the names that English singer-songwriter Sam Fender’s latest work has already topped in the Irish charts within a week of its release. His second album Seventeen Going Undereceived an abundance of critical acclaim, with the titular track currently over 260 million listens on Spotify. Fender has a very close relationship to Ireland. With his step father being from the country and producing his previous album in Westmeath; we may have become his surrogate nation. But that does not mean he is shy of his roots. Maintaining his Geordie accent whilst singing, local turn of phrase in his songwriting and symbolism in his merch and visualisers there is no sense of secrecy about where the former Glastonbury headliner is from.
In his third and newest album People Watching, Fender tells the stories of people from his hometown and the reflections he has made from being back home during the height of his career. The production team of the album includes the usual Fender Gang of close friends and also new recruits such as the War On Drugs frontman Adam Granduciel, fellow busker turned best friend Brooke Bentham and producer Markus Dravs (Hozier, Arcade Fire, Coldplay). Rosie Danvers (Adele, Little Simz, Frank Ocean), director of all-female orchestra Wired Strings, also makes a return. With a larger production team of faces new and old, is the near chart topping success warranted?
From the beginning to the end of this album, it is clear that Fender has experienced so much loss and grief over the last few years. He discusses it heavily in songs People Watching, Nostalgia’s Lies, Chin Up and Remember My Name. All conveying tales of grief with an upbeat tone, bar the latter – Fender explores the loss of his “surrogate” mother; the supposed loss of joy pursuing adulthood and understanding his childhood; and the slow painful progression of his grandmother’s dementia through his grandfather’s eyes. It’s a heavy, emotional topic that is so relatable to every single listener. With delays of the album’s release, the rushed UK & Ireland tour announcement and the last minute cancellation of several shows; It appears that these tales are recent or at least had an impact on the logistics of this album. That paired with the grief of his time growing up, a lot of which he focused on his previous album that was based on revelations made in therapy during Covid.
With Grief and Loss, inevitably comes pain which inevitably leads to coping. Fender addresses both the good and bad methods of coping. Wild Long Lie, Something Heavy, Rein Me In looks at Drugs, casual relationships and alcohol as a form of coping and distraction. In Little Bit Closer, the marginally gospel-like harmonies ponder the consideration of turning to religion. With it being the latest track in the set, it may suggest a somewhat positive conclusion to coping.
Finally, Fender takes a look at his career in this album. Despite his successes, he still remains down to earth – one of the artist’s biggest appeals (Especially in Ireland). Unlike a lot of singers, he acknowledges he has a different standing in society due to his career. This becomes evident in his songs discussing socio-economic issues that effect his hometown. It provides a new flavour to this theme which he has written about since the early days of his career. Crumbling Empire, one of the weakest songs due to its over-bearing repetition, gives an external stance that focuses on the people around him and the economic factors that have influenced their lives. Meanwhile, TV Dinner, one of the more musically captivating songs on the album, gives a more internal perspective of the issues at hand under a bond-esque sound filled with raging keys and shrilling strings. The fast-paced verses and increased stress on vocals suggests a personal rage about him being used as a pawn by the music industry based on where he comes from.
With topics such as mental health, class divide and exploitation, it is no wonder why Sam Fender’s newest album has soared the charts in Ireland. With the nature of any album, the songs can be hit or miss. Songs that had a lot of repetition were the biggest downfall of this track as I was curious of what else Sam had to say. Crumbling Empire was the biggest culprit for this, but for the other songs of the album, they got away with it. They each featured insights very current to a world that is filled with abuse of power and compliance to that. I cannot wait to have this album top my spotify wrapped this year and to see what Fender has next.
