Sam Fender tells fans to “get ready” for new music as he launches cryptic countdown clocks

15 October, 2024

Sam Fender performing live on stage

Sam Fender is seemingly hinting at the release date of his new single ‘People Watching’, telling fans to “get ready” for further news incoming.

The singer-songwriter confirmed that his third studio record was finished and “mastered” earlier this month, after sharing snippets of new material online. Fender then released a live version of ‘People Watching’ – a song he’d debuted at an intimate gig this summer.

Now, the North Shields artist’s official website is counting down to something happening at midnight this Friday (October 18). The page directs fans to sign up to receive more information. Upon doing so, users are told to “get ready” for updates via email and text message.

“Alreeet. Thanks for joining. News very soon. Make sure you’re following below,” an email from Fender reads, above links to his social media pages. It also features a new press photo of the musician, and the track title ‘People Watching’ – appearing to confirm its release in three days.

Additionally, Fender’s website contains another countdown – this time pointing to an announcement on Wednesday November 13.

Fender’s upcoming new album will serve as the follow-up to NME‘s album of the year 2021, ‘Seventeen Going Under’ – which reached Number One in the UK.

A series of behind-the-scenes images recently showed The War On Drugs‘ Adam Granduciel working on Fender’s next LP in the studio. The ‘Spit Of You’ singer first hinted that he had been collaborating with Granduciel in March, sharing footage of them together, alongside producers, engineers and other musicians.

As well as premiering ‘People Watching’ live in Plymouth in August, Fender aired another new song titled ‘Nostalgia’s Lie’ at the small gig. He played both tracks again when he headlined Boardmasters 2024 the following week.

Since then, Fender has welcomed singer Brooke Bentham into his band, revealing that “her voice is all over the next album”. He added: “It’s been an absolute pleasure singing with her again and I can’t wait for you to hear what we’ve made.”

Earlier this year, ‘The Borders’ star gave an update on his forthcoming third full-length effort. “We have been recording and recording and making loads of stuff but it got to the point where I thought, ‘We don’t need to get this out yet. We need to get it right’,” Fender explained.

“For the second one [‘Seventeen Going Under’], we rushed to get that out and the third one we started rushing and I thought, ‘No, we have got to take the time’.”

Last summer, Fender announced special Newcastle editions of his next album by sharing QR codes across the city ahead of his massive homecoming dates at St James’ Park stadium.

Speaking to NME in 2022, Fender described his new music as “very pretty” with a strong “singer-songwriter” vibe.

“If I try and force myself to write stadium songs, we could end up fucking it I think,” he admitted at the time. “Instead, I want to write about the stories that I have and the place that I’m mentally at in my life at this point. And I’ve had a lot to write about.”

Ahead of his Plymouth and Boardmasters shows this summer – his only gigs of 2024 so far – Fender teased that more tour dates were “coming soon”. He is currently among the rumoured acts to headline Glastonbury Festival 2025.

Since dropping the Mercury Prize-nominated ‘Seventeen Going Under’ – which was also named Best Album In The World at the NME Awards 2022 – Fender has shared 2024 song ‘Iris’, taken from the Jackdaw soundtrack, and his Noah Kahan collaboration ‘Homesick’.

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