Sam Fender Begins a Revolution with New Album, “People Watching” 

Sam Fender releases his third record, People Watching as a dedication to his hometown, Newcastle, as well as a documentation of his lived experiences with loss and faith.

Newcastle born, indie rock singer and songwriter, Sam Fender, releases his third record, People Watching which is dedicated to his friends and loved ones. It reflects various challenges and successes Fender has gone through to become the person he is today.

People Watching is inspired by Annie Orwin, who was a mother figure to him. She unfortunately passed away last year. The album is a dedication and love story to her, as well as an homage his hometown.

Fender is not one to shy away from his progressive political stance, upbringing, love for his community, and hometown. He applies these feelings to his music where he brings awareness to current issues. Although he established this with his two previous records, Hypersonic Missiles and Seventeen Going Under, he further elaborates on these viewpoints in People Watching.

Fender on the Working Class

Fender presents a social commentary about the swinging economic and political stance within the United Kingdom. It is crucial for Fender to voice his belief, as there has been a rise amongst political turmoil and separation amongst the working class in the UK. Various tracks across the record reference these issues. Specifically, “Chin Up“, and “Wild Long Lie” bring these feelings to light.

Additionally, this concept can be seen especially within the second verse of “Crumbling Empire“,

My old man worked on the rail yard / Getting his trade on the electrical board. It got privatised, the work degraded / in this crumbling empire/My mother delivered most the kids in this town / My step-dad drove in a tank for the crown / They left them homeless, down and out…

This verse is a direct call out to the injustices placed upon working-class people in the UK. This population are offered little to no benefits from the UK government and left to their own devices in their small communities, according to Fender.

Because of this clear love of the working class, Fender alludes to the guilt of his success as a musician. He has overcome hardships he experienced growing up in the working-class. He illustrates this in the track, “People Watching“,

I came back home after seven years / Wide awake, tracin’ tracks of her tears. Cornered the nurse to get the gist of it / I promised her I’d get her out of the care home / The place was fallin’ to bits / Understaffed and overruled by callous hands / The poor nurse was around the clock/And the beauty of youth had left my breaking heart / But it wasn’t hard when you love someone / Oh, I stayed all night till you left this life / ’cause that’s just love…

Despite watching his loved ones passed, Fender continues to challenge feelings of grief and anger, and turns those into a prophetic track.

Fender on Queerness and Community

Along with that, Fender highlights the pressure of growing up queer in a religious environment. The track, “Little Bit Closer” illustrates his experiences,

Yeah, I was lost in their sermons and lies at God camp / Tryin’ to pray the gay away, something was shook in me / A birth of a new foundation that gets me a little bit closer to it…

Fender goes into detail about his experiences of watching those closest to him suffer because of his church’s stance on queerness. His vulnerability makes the record all the more impactful.

People Watching is heart shattering and immensely personal. Fender brings a collective discourse on the lack of compassion within humanity conspired by its political leaders. The record is both an artistic statement and a social outcry. Additionally, listeners are able to experience and witness the innermost demons and collective struggles that Fender tactfully describes.

Stream People Watching now.