Sam Fender

[NorthernSoul52]

[NorthernSoul52]

He's learned how to write a bridge on the new one. Friends previously resistant to his songcraft all fascinatingly keen on this latest effort. 

[MEGABOWL]

1 hour ago, NorthernSoul52 said:

He's learned how to write a bridge on the new one. Friends previously resistant to his songcraft all fascinatingly keen on this latest effort. 

I’ve had the same experience. A few friends not previously bothered about him raving about this one.

[NorthernSoul52]

1 hour ago, MEGABOWL said:

I’ve had the same experience. A few friends not previously bothered about him raving about this one.

It's fascinating, because fundamentally, it is a fairly straight bat off Seventeen Going Under. The woah-ohs are now woo-oohs and lower in the mix, there's a flash of The War on Drugs-esque guitar chime to let you know it was cut in LA and that's about it until you get to the bridge.

 

But that bridge does actually slap. The strings are a grand old touch. I know plenty of people will turn their nose up at him, but Fender clearly understands anthems, no matter the lyrical content, can transcend any widescreen cheesiness on record when bellowed back by a stadium. (I am a fan, and I think some of his material is cracking, but I'm not going to pretend it doesn't veer into kitsch, much like Springsteen can on occasion.)