Sam Fender - People Watching (February 21, 2025) Album • Page 2

I think this is his most consistent album overall, but I feel you on this. "Chin Up" being the exception - 11/10 song

 

booo. i believe sam is going to be on craig's new album though

 

I'm enjoying this, but agree that I wish it had another song or two with more energy

 

On the subject of energy, he's stated in the following article that he's "desperate" to do a punk/"thrashy" record in the future: Sam Fender says he’s “desperate” to make a punk album | Kerrang!

Sounds like it might be a double record, too.

 

After a few listens I think it’s a really solid album (though I would probably put it below the past album right now).

It feels like Sam coming down from the anger and passion that kinda defined the last album and sitting to really reflect on himself and the world. He still muses on the same topics, but this time there is more accepting and listening and less rebellion and anger. I particularly like the part in Wild Long Lie where he kinda reflects on how he hurt someone he loved by jumping on them about politics.

Sonically there’s a lot of solid stuff here, but probably less standout tracks. As of now the ones that do standout for me are the title track, Nostalgia, TV Dinner, and (especially) Rein Me In. I’m kinda just in love with it right now and how it almost sounds like an Antlers song if you squint your eyes (errr… Ears?).

The album doesn’t do a whole lot to kinda address my two main critiques of Sam’s music (I have yet to listen to his debut!). Namely:
A) It sometimes feels like Sam has like 2-3 different song formulas that he just rewrites again and again.
B) That EVERY sax solo starts with that long drawn out note lol. My wife and I were having a lot of fun trying to predict when it would come out on each track lol.

But he writes such great songs and lyrics that I don’t care over half the time!

Overall happy about this one, but probably won’t be exclusively stuck on it like I was with the last one.

 

I kinda feel like TV dinner goes pretty hard, but not necessarily like a crowd-favorite-anthem way.

 

need to find time for this

 

I’ve really fallen for this album after a couple listens. It’s perfect for walking around my city.

 

The only thing that's holding me back from enjoying this is that it lingers too much in its own atmosphere. Songs are great, production is pristine, closer is heartbreakingly beautiful but nothing really jumps out at me and pulls me back in. It's a moody grower of a record and you need to be in a certain time and mental and physical place to listen to it.

 

Am I alone in thinking this is the best thing he’s done?

 

I think this is my favorite of his front to back. There are some higher highs on album one for me, but this is his first release where I don’t skip around while listening.

 

Curious to know what lyric you interpreted as this. My guess is it's the "And I've gone quiet cause my heart is still choking up from a love I tore apart" which I've interpreted very, very differently. Never got any political vibe from that. I actually thought that was a nice through-line to 'Rein Me In' lyrics

Wild Long Lie is one of my favourite tracks because it feels like it recounts nights I've had 100x back in my hometown, particularly around Christmas when everyone comes back and there's that over-energized buzz in the air

 

Further, I agree with the majority in here. This is his best front to back but it does lack some of the standout highs from other records. I absolutely love his writing though. My personal favourites being the second verse and bridge of People Watching, the last verse of Something Heavy, the entirety of Remember My Name.

Also, I am totally in for a punk album. The Howden Aldi Death Queue (Live) track rips so fuckin' hard. I would sign up for an album of that energy

Edit: Oh man, I regret hitting send on picking favourites. Rein Me In and Nostalgias Lie really hit me hard too

 

Will hopefully spend some more time with this soon, but the initial listens have been promising. Chin Up is really good, early standout.

 

Really love this so far. I found the last release a little hit and miss when I heard it, but this has convinced me for sure. I’ll have to go back to Seventeen Going Under.

 

The more I listen to this, the more I like it. There’s something in the way he describes working class British life that is so deeply, deeply relatable.

Aside from the title track, Nostalgia’s Lie, Arm’s Length, Crumbling Empire, Something Heavy, and Remember My Name are the ones I love so far.

 

Is there a name for the affectation he sings with? Sometimes (and I truly 1000% apologize in advance if this is a defect or harm of some kind) he sounds like Droopy Dog, or there’s peanut butter on the roof of his mouth.

I hear it most in songs like “Crumbling Empire,” especially on the line “a Detroit neighborhood left to ruin.”And then there are songs like “Nostalgia’s Lie” where I don’t notice it at all and he sounds free and clear as a bell.

I actually quite like it, because it sounds authentic and I can’t tell how much of it is his accent vs pronunciation vs something else. But it’s wholly unique.

 

I'm a pretty big fan of his and honestly, I hadn't noticed it until this album, but I definitely hear it. The first time I heard 'People Watching', the difference in his voice and the way he sang was startling to me. "Envious of the glimmer of hope", the second line in the song, has that kind of muddled enunciation and I wasn't sure what to make of it. And you're right, it's not every song or every line.

I'm used to it now, but I still can notice a stark difference in his voice between 17 and PW. I know that he has persistent health concerns, and he's recently had to reduce (or eliminate?) alcohol to preserve his vocal chords, so perhaps this is related to that. All speculation on my part.

There's no disrespect here either. He's an amazing vocalist, writer, and performer. Can't imagine this album not being on my Top 10 at year end.

 

Tried (and failed) again to get tickets to his show this AM.

 

got mine for boston... i imagine most people aren't refunding their webster tickets

 

Grabbed a few for Boston, can’t wait to finally catch him live.