Sam Fender has made a career out of turning working-class life into widescreen rock anthems, and with People Watching, he's sharpening his focus. The English singer-songwriter has spent the last three years crafting his third studio album, a collection of songs that zoom in on the everyday struggles, triumphs, and idiosyncrasies of the people around him. If Seventeen Going Under was his coming-of-age moment, People Watching finds him looking outward, telling stories of ordinary lives that feel like anything but.

People Watching was co-produced by Fender alongside longtime collaborators Dean Thompson and Joe Atkinson, working first in London with Markus Dravs (Arcade Fire, Coldplay) before heading to Los Angeles to record with The War On Drugs’ Adam Granduciel. That pairing speaks volumes, Dravs brings the bombast, while Granduciel’s touch adds texture and nuance, suggesting a sonic expansion that builds on Fender’s signature blend of soaring guitars and candid storytelling.

Since breaking out with Hypersonic Missiles in 2019, Fender has gone from a pub-circuit hero to a stadium headliner, racking up two BRIT Awards, an Ivor Novello, and over two billion streams along the way. His Bruce Springsteen-indebted sound, marked by muscular guitars and observational lyricism, has earned him a devoted following, one that saw him play landmark shows in his hometown of Newcastle and share stages with the Rolling Stones and Springsteen himself.

But while his first two albums were deeply personal, People Watching shifts the perspective. Fender has always had a knack for empathy, and here he turns that lens outward, sketching vivid portraits of those around him, friends, strangers, and the forgotten faces of his hometown. It’s an album that cements his status as one of Britain’s most essential songwriters, not just chronicling his own journey, but capturing the beauty and hardship in the lives of others.