‘People Watching’ Deluxe Album: Sam Fender Turns The Dial Up & Inwards

Sam Fender releases his deluxe edition of ‘People Watching’ album today. Image credit: Chuff Media

Sam Fender’s signature narrative storytelling is swapped out for his most personal, crushing vignettes to date.

Sam Fender opens his deluxe album with the brutal summary; ‘if you see me smiling, it’s forceful and violent’. Over the course of eight songs, some heard as far back as a year ago, others out the gate today, he explains why.

This collection of tracks is the most candid and introspective storytelling the Geordie has ever served, far from an album to shuffle amongst your Christmas playlist. In its deluxe form, ‘People Watching’ moves from a generational study to a deeply personal break up album; a longform exploration of the coping mechanisms employed in failures of the heart and the state.

In this extended offering, Sam Fender isn’t people watching, he’s addressing the effects of people watching him; and the personal weight of being under the heavy spotlight.

Read the full review here.

Sam Fender — ‘People Watching Deluxe Release’. Image credit: Chuff Media

The first new single following the deluxe announcement, ‘Talk To You’ featuring Elton John hinted that Fender was preparing to dish up diaristic honesty. That’s not to say he hasn’t provided it in the past – a huge part of his appeal is his craft in pinpointing singular moments of authenticity that millions of ‘ordinary people’ can relate to.

Now, for the first time, Sam Fender is lifting the cover on life as someone with substantial fame, and its negative impact on his relationship – ultimately to the point of destruction. ‘I hope my face isn’t plastered on your feed’ he softly calls in ‘Fortuna’s Wheel’.

Acknowledging his position in the public eye, ‘this time isn’t easy for you / it’s not what you need’, he knows there are plenty of people watching. The deluxe edition tracks a break up with far more precision than Fender’s typically vague and sparse depictions of romantic life. Over an acoustic guitar, his voice breaks in the final iteration, ‘I just hope you’re happy in new company’.

“In this extended offering, Sam Fender isn’t people watching, he’s addressing the effects of people watching him; and the personal weight of being under the heavy spotlight.”

By default, these tracks are less relatable – that’s part of the problem. ‘You don’t look like you came out a break up / you look like you come out the spa’. But in return, they allow fans to peek into the parts of his life he has been yet to share. It feels as though these songs were a little too raw to include in the standard release.

In our feature article earlier this year on masculinity presented in ‘People Watching’, ‘Rein Me In’ was cited as the deepest cut on the standard release. During Fender’s ‘People Watching’ summer tour, Olivia Dean made a surprise guest appearance for it at London Stadium, kickstarting the momentum of a year that has rivalled Fender in success.

Claiming her verse in the studio version, she critiques the flawed state of mind that all must be shouldered alone, lifting the song from self-wallowing to a call to emotion. There is greater urgency as the two sing alongside each other, even a little hope, and it remains a brilliant track featuring two of Britain’s best voices.

With the exception of ‘Tyrants’, these songs pass exclusively in first person; nearly always maintaining Fender as the central character. The album finds sonic steam again here and in ‘Me And The Dog’, but for the most part, the deluxe release is a spent exhale, a cry for help tied into eight fantastic tracks.

‘Treadmill’ explodes in a firework of heartbreak, capped off with a soaring sax solo that’s become a clear audio footprint across the album. It’s a classic Fender sound – maximalist emotion channelled through exhilarating rock. But rather than ending with the monumental finale we might have come to expect, ‘Treadmill’ drops off flatly with the background noise of the machine, like there’s simply nothing left in the tank.

Hidden away til the end, ‘Empty Spaces’, is a piano ballad for the ages; one of Fender’s best works. Returning to the album’s original ethos, Fender combines his observations of unhappy strangers around him with his own uncomfortable reflection in the mirror. The album starts in a care home and ends in a hospital, reliving a difficult call with his mother during her nurse shift.

“In its deluxe form, ‘People Watching’ moves from a generational study to a deeply personal break up album; a longform exploration of the coping mechanisms employed in failures of the heart and the state.”

The Mercury Prize winner’s voice has always carried depth of emotion, but it’s never sounded this painfully raw. Line after line bleeds with regret, despair and self-loathing. The lyrics cut like glass shards through headphones and it almost hurts just to listen to, like being on the phone with a friend in despair.

‘Empty Spaces’ is a stunning ending to a magnificent double album, one which will continue to feed Fender’s devoted fans until he’s ready to return to the stage.