SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: SAM FENDER – PEOPLE WATCHING

SAM FENDER
PEOPLE WATCHING
POLYDOR

With People Watching, his first album since his 2022 breakthrough Seventeen Going Under, Sam Fender landed a big coup in hiring Adam Granduciel of The War On Drugs as his producer and collaborator. That influence is stamped all over this from the get-go; while Fender’s songwriting remains as grounded as his fans would hope, the lush, almost 80s-inspired production shows an artist at a different stage of his career than the working-class hero of four years ago.

Sometimes, this works – opener “People Watching” is tremendous, and up there with the likes of “Red Eyes” and “Holding On” from the Drugs’ canon as an inspired, driving, pop-rock anthem – but all too frequently, it hides his voice, his grittiness, his realness behind one too many synths and layered guitars.

That’s a pity, because Fender is still writing good music, but he’s only at his best when you can actually hear him and his creative voice. Title track aside, only “Arm’s Length” midway through the album, and “Something Heavy” near the end, really give you that feeling.

The album goes on to evoke Springsteen in “Crumbling Empire” (soundwise, a Darkness On The Edge Of Town B-side) and “Rein Me In”, which goes heavy on the Clarence Clemons sax at times, but that only leaves an even bigger gap between expectations and reality.

Ultimately, Fender’s songwriting pen is still sharp, but his voice is blunted, lost, and stuck in a Born In The USA facsimile with the microphone turned down on this uneven effort.

Artist Links