Getting into Sam Fender this year made me realize pretty quickly why Seventeen Going Under gets talked about so much. There’s something really refreshing about hearing an artist be this open about where they came from, their family, growing up, insecurities, and the things that shaped them without making it feel overly dramatic. The title track was obviously the song that pulled me in, but the album as a whole is what made me want to dive deeper into Sam’s music. Spit of You, Get You Down, Long Way Off, and The Dying Light especially show how strong his songwriting is. He can take something really personal and turn it into a huge, emotional rock song that still feels incredibly human. I also love how the album balances those vulnerable moments with the bigger, more anthemic songs. The sax, guitars, drums, and overall production give it this nostalgic, almost cinematic feeling without taking away from the stories he’s telling. As someone who only became a Sam Fender fan this year, I can’t really speak to what it felt like when this album first came out, but hearing it now, I completely understand why it connected with so many people. It feels like the kind of album that gets more meaningful the more you live with it. Really glad I finally discovered Sam Fender. This feels like the album that made me understand him as an artist.