Sam Fender has announced his new album, People Watching, alongside confirming details of its eponymous lead single, which will land Friday (Nov. 15).
Arriving on Feb. 21, 2025, via Polydor Records, the Newcastle songwriter’s third LP was partially recorded in London with producer Markus Dravs, then L.A. with Adam Granduciel of Philadelphia rockers The War on Drugs.
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It will follow the hugely successful Seventeen Going Under, which topped the U.K.’s Official Albums Chart upon release in October 2021 and saw Fender headline London’s 40,000-capacity Finsbury Park the following summer.
To coincide with the news, the 30-year-old has shared that the title track is about “somebody that was like a surrogate mother to me and passed away last November.” In a lengthy Nov. 7 Instagram post, he added: “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.”
Sharing the artwork, he added: “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 f–ker to be surrounded by such a talented bunch.”
The track received its live debut at an intimate show in Plymouth, south west England, on Aug. 3. The following week, Fender headlined Cornwall’s Boardmasters Festival and then shared the performance to YouTube at the end of the month.
Next month, Fender will commence his first full U.K. tour since 2022. Kicking off in Ireland at the 3Arena in Dublin on Dec. 2, he will then head to Leeds, Manchester, London, Birmingham, Glasgow and conclude the run of shows in his hometown on Dec. 20. In March, he will tour mainland Europe with support from Mercury Prize-nominated singer CMAT.
In the build up to Fender’s comeback, he collaborated with Noah Kahan on a new version of the Vermont artist’s song “Homesick” at the start of 2024. The previous year saw him headline two nights at Newcastle’s St. James’ Park, as well as topping the bill at Reading & Leeds Festival.
