Sam Fender – “People Watching”

Back in August, Sam Fender debuted two new songs live: “People Watching” and “Nostalgia Lies.” We knew that the UK rocker was planning a follow-up to his 2021 sophomore album, Seventeen Going Under, and on Wednesday he confirmed that said new album would be titled People Watching and drop in February 2025. Today, a studio version of the title track is out; it was partially recorded in London with produced Markus Dravs and also in LA with the War On Drugs’ Adam Granduciel.

In an Instagram post on November 7, Fender wrote that “People Watching” is about “somebody that was like a surrogate mother to me and passed away last November… It’s kind of ironic because she was the one that gave me the confidence to go on stage… now an entire song (and album) connects to her.”

He adds:

Me and the band have picked away at these songs for the last couple of years, we recorded so much material in that time and deliberated long and hard over what came next. We settled on this collection for our next outing. Special thanks to Dean and Joe who have been with me every step of the way, they are incredible producers in their own right and I’m eternally proud and grateful for them both. The band has really evolved in this time, I’m a lucky fucker to be surrounded by such a talented bunch.

Listen to “People Watching” below.

People Watching will be out 2/25 via Polydor Records.