★★★★★

Whilst admittedly cliche, second albums are notoriously difficult. Expectations have been set and your sound to an extent has been solidified, especially after a strong debut album. Do you dare deviate and experiment? or do you stick the path you’ve already started at the risk of standing still? These are all questions Rock artists have had to ask themselves for generations now, whether it be Oasis, Stone Roses, Arctic Monkeys or The Strokes. None of those however had to do it in quite the same circumstances as Sam Fender has found himself in, he didn’t even tour his first record until a month before this follow-ups release, a mixture of global pandemic lockdowns and health issues have all threatened to derail the North Shields star’s momentum.

Delightfully, Fender has once again curved expectations. If there was any sense of heavy pressure on his shoulders, it doesn’t translate here. Slightly subtler than his strong debut ‘Hypersonic Missles’, like its title suggests ‘Seventeen Going Under’ is a more personal affair, it has a lot of heart, and is indisputably shaped by his working-class background. The record challenges masculinity and societal expectations as Fender opens up and tells us more about the man behind the guitar.

I have no hesitancy in describing the opening title track as one of the finest, and most powerful singles of the year. Whilst the lyrics speak of an enraged young man, punching out both literally and metaphorically at a system and culture that has failed him “She said the debt, the debt, the debt / So I thought about shifting gear / And how she wept and wept and wept… / I see my mother / The DWP see a number” sings Fender impactfully on the tracks bridge. Despite the emotional sucker punch, the superb twinkling of his guitar riffs, the rhythmic percussion and blaring saxophone that has become synonymous with Fenders sound, encompass the roaring hope that he champions and provides with his tracks.

It’s one of a couple of times Fender echoes the bombast and anthemic nature of tracks from his debut like ‘Hypersonic Missles’ and ‘Will We Talk’. Interestingly like the title track, some of his most personal moments are placed behind the most joyful of stadium-ready singalongs. ‘Get You Down’, is an introspective examination, with Fender openly admitting his own insecurities have found him self-destructing past relationships, “I catch myself in a mirror / See a pathetic little boy / Who's come to get you down” he sings on the chorus. What makes Fender’s lyrics just so impactful and progressive here, is unlike the men of Rocks past he never resorts to a blame game, he doesn’t want sympathy, he wants to better himself. Hence why he’s been so open about the positive effects therapy has had on his self described previous toxic behaviour.

It’s that ability to address a lot of the emotions that frequently get swept under the rug which has enabled him to become such a relatable beacon of hope for many others. On early EP ‘Dead Boys’ he addressed societies long-held attitude for men to hide their emotions and the devastating result, a skyrocketing in subsequent male suicides. On this record, he expands on this and turns his pen to the difficulties fathers have speaking frankly about mental health and emotions with their sons. The resulting ‘Spit of You’ is frankly a very special moment on the record. The underlying guitar melody is tender and intimate, reminiscent of the dreamscapes present in Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Rumors’. Fender sings gently on the crushing ballad about witnessing his father’s reaction to the death of his grandmother and how that’s shaped his own impression of their relationship.

Whilst it feels amiss to place a lot of my own feelings and experiences upon the album, Fender really screams out to a generation of families from working-class backgrounds that have long skirted the poverty line, as well as, males that have felt disillusioned and enraged by the system that surrounds them. Albeit I’m not from the North East but I’ve spent a lifetime watching a working town decay and crumble under a switch to conservative rule, a whole community disillusioned with its roots and politics.

Fender echoes this best on the punk and grunge infused ‘Aye’, practically overflowing with emotion, it perfectly encapsulates the sentiment of disgruntled distaste in the riches contempt for the poor, in his own words to the NME it’s “about the polarity between the left and the right-wing, and how that leaves working-class people displaced with a lack of political identity, playing into the hands of the 1 per cent. It’s also a rant about my disdain for the greedy tax-dodging billionaires of the world”.

Alongside the stellar singles, there’s a strong backbone to the rest of the record. ‘Mantra’ is terrific, Fender showcasing a secret falsetto, his vocals floating over the surprising folk-rock high notes. There are of course obvious comparisons to hero Springsteen, and whilst this track features a spectacular sax solo, the progressive instrumental second half of the song evokes Fleetwood Mac once again in glorious ways. ‘Paradigms’ feels like a mighty culmination of the record, a strong rock ballad in the Fender vein, but it’s the closer ‘The Dying Light’ that really steals the show. A spiritual successor to the aforementioned ‘Dead Boys’. A devastating analysis of a man on the brink of suicide, light piano strokes twinkle throughout before building to a climactic finale that feels truly triumphant as he steps back and embraces life instead.

It’s an example of what Fender and this record does best, he paints an unforgiving and real picture of the world around him. Fender is unafraid to point out a lot of ugly truths through a series of strong, relatable lyrics at the core of the album. However, the overarching message behind every track, which is amplified by their melodies, is one of hope… and after the past couple of years we’ve all endured, what more could you ask for? 

Check out our review of Sam Fender live in Leicester and visit his website to find out how to purchase tickets to his 2022 Tour.