People Watching (album)
{{Infobox album
| name = People Watching
| type = studio
| artist = Sam Fender
| cover = People Watching Sam Fender album cover.jpg
| alt =
| released = 21 February 2025
| recorded = January 2022 – October 2024
| studio =
| genre = * Heartland rock
- pop rock
- {{Nowrap|post-Britpop{{cn|date=March 2025}}}}
| length = {{Duration|m=48|s=32}}
| label = Polydor
| producer = {{hlist|Adam Granduciel|Markus Dravs|Sam Fender|Dean Thompson|Joe Atkinson|}}
| prev_title = Seventeen Going Under
| prev_year = 2021
| next_title =
| next_year =
| misc = {{Singles
| name = People Watching
| type = studio
| single1 = People Watching
| single1date = 15 November 2024
| single2 = Wild Long Lie
| single2date = 2 December 2024
| single3 = Arm’s Length
| single3date = 24 January 2025{{cite web|url=https://www.rollingstone.co.uk/music/sam-fender-new-song-arms-length-people-watching-listen-46970/|title=Listen to Sam Fender’s new single ‘Arm’s Length’ |website=Rolling Stone|date=24 January 2025|access-date=24 January 2025}}
| single4 = Remember My Name
| single4date = 14 February 2025
| single5 = Little Bit Closer
| single5date = 20 February 2025
}}
}}
People Watching is the third studio album by English musician Sam Fender, released on 21 February 2025 on Polydor Records.{{cite news |last=Starkey |first=Arun |date=15 November 2024 |title=Sam Fender releases title track from new album, 'People Watching' |url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/sam-fender-releases-title-track-people-watching/ |magazine=Far Out |access-date=15 November 2024}} The album was co-produced by Adam Granduciel, Markus Dravs, and Fender himself, with additional production from his bandmates, Dean Thompson and Joe Atkinson.
According to Fender, the album explores "colourful stories and observations of everyday characters living their everyday, but often extraordinary, lives."{{cite news |last=Singh |first=Surej |date=15 November 2024 |title=Listen to Sam Fender's euphoric and hopeful new single, 'People Watching' |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/listen-to-sam-fenders-euphoric-and-hopeful-new-single-people-watching-3812916 |magazine=NME |access-date=15 November 2024}} The album's lead single, "People Watching", was released on 15 November 2024.
Background and recording
On 3 August 2024, Fender premiered two songs of the upcoming album during a show at Plymouth Pavilions: "People Watching" and "Nostalgia's Lie".{{cite news |last=Rigotti |first=Alex |date=4 August 2024 |title=Watch Sam Fender debut two songs 'People Watching' and 'Nostalgia's Lie' live |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/sam-fender-plays-live-debut-for-two-unreleased-songs-people-watching-and-nostalgia-lies-3780786 |magazine=NME |access-date=15 November 2024}} On 13 November 2024, Fender announced his third album "People Watching" ahead of the release of the title track on 15 November 2024.{{cite news |last=Williams |first=Sophie |date=13 November 2024 |title=Sam Fender Announces Release Date for Long-Awaited New Album 'People Watching' |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/sam-fender-new-album-release-date-people-watching-1235827526/ |magazine=Billboard |access-date=15 November 2024}}
During the album's recording process, Fender worked with Adam Granduciel, the frontman, founder and producer of the indie rock band The War on Drugs. Regarding working with Fender, Granduciel noted: "I fell in love with him. He’s a savant. Sam and the boys came out in March [2024] for about five weeks. We worked on some stuff they’d already started, then we worked on some more stuff from the ground up. It was awesome. I’d never met Sam, but we’d communicated once or twice. I have this picture above the sink in my kitchen, that I took of the boys. Sam, Joe [Atkinson], Dean [Thompson] and Drew, just hanging out in my studio. They inspire each other. It’s like my band: everyone can just sit there for fifteen hours and just hang. You don’t have a wildcard, everyone’s easy and loose, and musical, and good-hearted. It was a blast working together."{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/the-war-on-drugs-adam-granduciel-on-working-with-sam-fender-i-didnt-realise-how-much-of-a-musical-savant-he-was-3822610|title=The War On Drugs’ Adam Granduciel on working with Sam Fender: “I didn’t realise how much of a musical savant he was”|website=NME|last=Burton|first=Poppy|date=December 16, 2024|access-date=January 26, 2025}} The War on Drugs are set to be an opening act during Fender's UK stadium shows at London Stadium and Newcastle's St James' Park.
The album's penultimate track, "Something Heavy", features additional vocals from Craig Finn, the frontman of the indie rock band The Hold Steady, with Fender subsequently appearing on Finn's sixth solo album, Always Been, which was released the following month in April 2025. Fender provided backing vocals on the track "Postcards", with both albums being produced by Adam Granduciel concurrently in 2024.
Artwork
The album's artwork features a photograph by the late Tish Murtha, a social documentary photographer who documented marginalised communities and working-class life in Newcastle upon Tyne.{{cite news |last=Kelly |first=Caroline |date=14 November 2024 |title=Sam Fender announces new album People Watching, sells out UK & IE arena tour |url=https://www.hotpress.com/music/sam-fender-announces-new-album-people-watching-23058925 |magazine=Hot Press |access-date=15 November 2024}}
Critical reception
{{Music ratings
| title = People Watching ratings
| rev1 = AllMusic
| rev1score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{AllMusic |class=album |id=mw0004417706 |label=People Watching |accessdate=3 March 2025}}
| rev2 = Clash
| rev3 = DIY
| rev3score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{Cite web |date=2025-02-19 |title=Sam Fender - People Watching |url=https://diymag.com/review/album/sam-fender-people-watching |access-date=2025-02-21 |website=DIY |language=en}}
| rev4 = The Guardian
| rev5 = The Independent
| rev6 = The Line of Best Fit
| rev7 = Mojo
| rev8 = NME
| rev9 = The Observer
| rev10 = Pitchfork
| rev11 = Rolling Stone
}}
Upon its release, People Watching received widespread acclaim from critics. On review aggregator Metacritic, the album holds a score of 84 out of 100 based on seventeen critics' reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". In a five-star review in The Observer, Lisa Wright praised the album's honesty; calling it "a lonely document of fame, and of a man clinging on to the community his talents have propelled him away from. And where his previous album revealed Fender to be a songwriter of depth, People Watching explores life’s ugliness and finds excellence."{{cite web |last=Wright |first=Lisa |date=21 February 2025 |title=Sam Fender: People Watching review – a lonely yet brilliant document of fame |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/feb/21/sam-fender-people-watching-review-a-lonely-yet-brilliant-document-of-fame |website=The Observer |location=London, England |publisher= |access-date= 22 February 2025}} Alex Petridis of The Guardian also awarded the album five stars and named it his album of the week, praising Fender's songwriting: "strong on melodies...handy with a roaring, emotive, arena-friendly chorus, and exceptionally gifted with words".{{cite web |last=Petridis |first=Alex |date=21 February 2025 |title=Sam Fender: People Watching review – subtle social realism at stunning blockbuster scale |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/feb/20/sam-fender-people-watching-review |website=The Guardian |location=London, England |publisher= |access-date= 22 February 2025}}
Critics praised the album's social realist storytelling; Roy Wilkinson of Mojo deemed it "a poignant portrait of post-industrial Britain – one that’s meditative rather than defeated",{{cite web |last=Wilkinson |first=Roy|date=21 February 2025 |title=Sam Fender People Watching Reviewed: Anthemic but bittersweet communions from the Geordie Springsteen |url=https://www.mojo4music.com/articles/new-music/sam-fender-people-watching-reviewed/ |website=Mojo |location=London, England|publisher= |access-date=22 February 2025}} while Sarah Jamieson of DIY, in a rave review, noted it as being "unafraid of delving into both the personal and political - and, at times, where the two very much intertwine... an album that burrows under the skin of current society and refuses to dress up its stark reality."{{cite web |last=Jamieson |first=Sarah |date=21 February 2025 |title= Album Review Sam Fender - People Watching |url=https://diymag.com/review/album/sam-fender-people-watching |website=DIY |location=England |publisher= |access-date=22 February 2025}}
Track listing
{{Track listing
| extra_column = Producer(s)
| headline = People Watching track listing
| title_width = 30%
| extra_width = 70%
| title1 = People Watching
| length1 = 5:04
| extra1 = {{hlist|Fender|Adam Granduciel|Joe Atkinson{{ref|a|[a]}}|Dean Thompson{{ref|a|[a]}}}}
| title2 = Nostalgia's Lie
| length2 = 4:11
| extra2 = {{hlist|Fender|Markus Dravs|Atkinson{{ref|a|[a]}}|Thompson{{ref|a|[a]}}|Granduciel{{ref|a|[a]}}}}
| title3 = Chin Up
| length3 = 3:24
| extra3 = {{hlist|Fender|Granduciel|Atkinson{{ref|a|[a]}}|Thompson{{ref|a|[a]}}}}
| title4 = Wild Long Lie
| extra4 = {{hlist|Fender|Granduciel|Atkinson|Thompson|Granduciel{{ref|a|[a]}}}}
| length4 = 6:04
| title5 = Arm’s Length
| length5 = 3:59
| extra5 = {{hlist|Fender|Granduciel|Dravs|Atkinson{{ref|a|[a]}}|Thompson{{ref|a|[a]}}}}
| title6 = Crumbling Empire
| length6 = 5:08
| extra6 = {{hlist|Fender|Granduciel|Atkinson{{ref|a|[a]}}|Thompson{{ref|a|[a]}}}}
| title7 = Little Bit Closer
| length7 = 3:55
| extra7 = {{hlist|Fender|Dravs|Atkinson{{ref|a|[a]}}|Thompson{{ref|a|[a]}}}}
| title8 = Rein Me In
| length8 = 5:40
| extra8 = {{hlist|Fender|Dravs|Atkinson{{ref|a|[a]}}|Thompson{{ref|a|[a]}}|Granduciel{{ref|a|[a]}}}}
| title9 = TV Dinner
| length9 = 4:31
| extra9 = {{hlist|Fender|Granduciel|Atkinson{{ref|a|[a]}}|Thompson{{ref|a|[a]}}}}
| title10 = Something Heavy
| length10 = 3:36
| extra10 = {{hlist|Fender|Dravs|Atkinson{{ref|a|[a]}}|Thompson{{ref|a|[a]}}|Granduciel{{ref|a|[a]}}}}
| title11 = Remember My Name
| length11 = 3:02
| extra11 = {{hlist|Fender|Dravs}}
| total_length = 48:32
| all_writing = Sam Fender.
}}
=Note=
- {{sup|{{note|a|[a]}}}} signifies an additional producer
Personnel
=Musicians=
- Sam Fender – vocals (all tracks), piano (tracks 1, 4, 6, 8–10); glockenspiel, guitar, keyboards, string arrangement (1); electric guitar (2–10), acoustic guitar (2–8, 10), organ (2, 9), harmonica (5)
- Drew Michael – drums, percussion (tracks 1–10)
- Adam Granduciel – synthesizer (tracks 1, 4), acoustic guitar (2, 6), Wurlitzer electric piano (4), keyboards (5, 6), sequencer (9)
- Joe Atkinson – synthesizer (track 1), keyboards (4–6, 8, 9)
- Mark Webb – trumpet (tracks 1, 9, 11)
- Brooke Bentham – background vocals (track 1), vocals (10)
- Dean Thompson – background vocals, guitar (track 1); mandolin (10)
- Rosie Danvers – conductor, piano, string arrangement (track 1)
- Jon Natchez – baritone saxophone (track 1)
- Tom Ungerer – bass (tracks 1-10)
- Johnny Davis – saxophone (track 1)
- Wired Strings – strings (track 1)
- Johnny "Bluehat" Davis – saxophone (tracks 4, 8)
- Craig Finn – vocals (track 10)
- Easington Colliery Brass Band - brass accompaniment (track 11)
=Technical=
- Greg Calbi – mastering
- Steve Fallone – mastering
- Craig Silvey – mixing
- Dani Bennett Spragg – mixing
- Dean Thompson – engineering (tracks 1–10)
- Joe Atkinson – engineering (tracks 1–10)
- Austin Asvanonda – engineering (tracks 1–6, 8–10)
- Iain Berryman – engineering (tracks 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11)
- Oli Jacobs – engineering (tracks 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10)
- Brett Cox – engineering (track 11)
- David Kohn – recording, engineering assistance (tracks 1–6, 8–10)
- Claude Vause – recording, engineering assistance (tracks 2, 4–8, 10)
- Tom Coath – recording, engineering assistance (tracks 2, 4–8, 10)
- Adam Forster – recording, engineering assistance (track 11)
Charts
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ Chart performance for People Watching ! scope="col"| Chart (2025) ! scope="col"| Peak |
| scope="row"| Australian Albums (ARIA){{cite web|url=https://www.aria.com.au/charts/albums-chart/2025-03-03|title=ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart|publisher=Australian Recording Industry Association|date=3 March 2025|access-date=28 February 2025}}
| 17 |
|---|
| {{album chart|Austria|9|artist=Sam Fender|album=People Watching|rowheader=true|access-date=5 March 2025}} |
| {{album chart|Flanders|2|artist=Sam Fender|album=People Watching|rowheader=true|access-date=2 March 2025}} |
| {{album chart|Wallonia|21|artist=Sam Fender|album=People Watching|rowheader=true|access-date=2 March 2025}} |
| {{album chart|Netherlands|2|artist=Sam Fender|album=People Watching|rowheader=true|access-date=1 March 2025}} |
| {{album chart|France|129|M|url=https://snepmusique.com/les-tops/le-top-de-la-semaine/top-albums/?semaine=09|title=Top Albums (Semaine du 28 février 2025)|publisher=SNEP|artist=Sam Fender|album=People Watching|rowheader=true|access-date=3 March 2025}} |
| {{album chart|Germany4|4|id=544615|artist=Sam Fender|album=People Watching|rowheader=true|access-date=28 February 2025}} |
| {{album chart|Ireland3|2|date=20250228|rowheader=true|access-date=28 February 2025}} |
| scope="row"| Italian Albums (FIMI){{cite web|url=https://www.fimi.it/top-of-the-music/classifiche.kl#/charts/1/2025/9|title=Album & Compilation – Classifica settimanale WK 9 (dal 21.02.2025 al 27.02.2025)|publisher=Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana|language=it|access-date=1 March 2025}}
| 51 |
| scope="row"| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ){{cite web|url=https://aotearoamusiccharts.co.nz/archive/albums/2025-02-28|title=NZ Top 40 Albums Chart|publisher=Recorded Music NZ|date=28 February 2025|access-date=28 February 2025}}
| 12 |
| {{album chart|Scotland|1|date=20250228|rowheader=true|access-date=1 March 2025}} |
| scope="row"| Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE){{cite web|url=https://www.elportaldemusica.es/lists/top-100-albums/2025/9|title=Top 100 Albums – Week 9|website=El Portal de Música|publisher=Productores de Música de España|accessdate=4 March 2025}}
| 80 |
| scope="row"| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan){{cite web|url=https://www.sverigetopplistan.se/chart/54?dspy=2025&dspp=9|title=Veckolista Album, vecka 9, 2025|publisher=Sverigetopplistan|access-date=1 March 2025}}
| 58 |
| {{album chart|Switzerland|7|artist=Sam Fender|album=People Watching|rowheader=true|access-date=2 March 2025}} |
| {{album chart|UK2|1|date=20250228|rowheader=true|access-date=28 February 2025}} |
| {{album chart|BillboardFolk|21|artist=Sam Fender|rowheader=true|access-date=March 4, 2025}} |
| {{album chart|BillboardAlbumSales|16|artist=Sam Fender|rowheader=true|access-date=March 4, 2025}} |
Certifications
{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for People Watching}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|artist=Sam Fender|title=People Watching|award=Gold|type=album|relyear=2025|certyear=2025|id=19723-5075-2|access-date=28 February 2025}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true|nosales=true|noshipments=true}}