A long three-year wait for new material from Sam Fender was well worth it. A tour in December, a new album in February, and a new song right now. People Watching shares the album title and holds the spirit of what Fender documented in previously revealing record, Seventeen Going Under. A follow-up to his 2021 effort is a tricky moment for Fender. Improving on the works of the previous album while adapting his sound to new strokes of instrumental influence is no small challenge. He flies through this one with a similar-sounding hope, an optimism from the future formed by his past. People Watching is a song for the idle hands chipping away the quiet days on public transport. It is a song of transitioning from one big plan to another. People Watching is not the crossroads of making a choice but the silent gasp after the big move.
Fender has made his choice and implores listeners to do the same. Take that risk, fight the doubters and on it goes. Those days where we find ourselves watching the lives of others are vital to growth in our own. People Watching is more than his hometown. It is more than the moments which define him and as a result, People Watching becomes an anthem for change. Where this change lies is up to a listener but for many, it will be the push they need, that first gust of momentum, to carry you someplace else. Make your hope but use that envy, the jealousy riding the train home gives you. People Watching is a sharper shot of positivity than the learned-from experiences of Seventeen Going Under but it does not forget to include those tender specifics, those experiences Fender used to get to where he is.
Where he is now is at a new peak. Seventeen Going Under remains a masterstroke of heartland rock and those tones remain. But they are paired with anxiety and discomfort which propels Fender forward, to those new horizons and hopes of realising the next dream after achieving the last one. Tight instrumentals and a larger boom from string sections give Fender that next-level flourish, the edge of a musician already pushing for more when what he offered before was already a stroke of brilliance. People Watching has all the catchy hooks expected of Fender and the team backing him, those inevitable flourishes of brass and saxophone are still intact but used in new ways, the difference in form and tone to the previous record is massive and necessary.
People Watching is a charmed song, a powerhouse of instrumental rock with the same emotional sincerity and maturity as expected from as genuine a frontman as it gets. From losing loved ones to the chance of meeting more, the turmoil is both specific to Fender but applicable to everyone. He paints broad strokes with a finer brush than most and it adds that effective honesty, that sincerity which carries him to those staggering heights. People Watching is as bold as his fans would want and as different to previous releases as detractors would expect. It is the fine line any great artist must walk and a boost to his discography. Heartfelt and emotionally charged excellence is what we have come to expect from Fender and he does not disappoint. He thrives in the capable spirit of the times, the fallout and heartbreak which form that stronger shell we use in future. People Watching is a perspective, a view of all those who find themselves doing the same as Fender.
