Funny enough, I discovered Sam Fender this year because of Olivia Dean. I heard “Rein Me In” and immediately loved the combination of their voices, which made me curious enough to finally listen to People Watching. I didn’t realize at the time that I was starting with the album that would introduce me to Sam as an artist. What really surprised me is how much storytelling there is throughout this album. Sam has a way of taking very personal experiences, relationships, growing up, loneliness, regret, and the people around him and turning them into songs that still feel incredibly relatable. There’s a lot of reflection here, but it never feels like he’s trying too hard to make everything sound profound. “Rein Me In” was obviously the song that brought me here, and hearing the original album version made me appreciate the song even more. Then hearing Olivia’s added perspective made the story feel like an actual conversation rather than just one person looking back on a relationship. I love that her part was written specifically from her perspective instead of simply adding another voice to Sam’s existing lyrics. But the album definitely gave me more than just the song that introduced me to him. “People Watching,” “Nostalgia’s Lie,” “Wild Long Lie,” “Chin Up,” and especially “Remember My Name” showed me an artist who can make big, emotional rock music while still keeping the songwriting at the center. As someone who only became a Sam Fender fan this year, I’m obviously experiencing this album differently from someone who has followed him since Hypersonic Missiles or Seventeen Going Under. But honestly, I think that makes discovering People Watching even more special for me. It was my introduction to Sam Fender, and now I understand why people connect with his music on such a personal level. Definitely one of those albums where discovering one song can lead you down a whole new artist rabbit hole.