“Over on the video-sharing platform TikTok, videos with the hashtag #samfender have received more than 258m views. There is cameraphone footage of his gigs, clips of his TV interviews and lists of “top tier indie bois” in which the 27-year-old singer-songwriter seems to rank highly. And there are a wide selection of videos for which the title track of Fender’s second album provides a soundtrack. It”
“The loss of youth and young manhood and the trials of adolescence have provided ample inspiration for musicians since forever. The latter, in particular, has been well encapsulated by US rockers Sharon Van Etten (‘Seventeen’, 2019) and Olivia Rodrigo (‘Brutal’, 2021) in recent years, but the former is one that Sam Fender has mastered like few others. It’s a topic that requires a delicate approach;”
“Sam Fender eloquently paints a backdrop of the English north-east on Seventeen Going Under”
“With classic rock ambition and full-hearted sincerity, the 27-year-old British songwriter hits his stride when looking inward but fumbles when casting his gaze toward society at large.”
