Sam Fender circles back to his chart-topping third album with eight additional tracks that expand the sonic world of People Watching.
The North Shields singer-songwriter delivers the deluxe version today (December 5) via Capitol Records, riding high on his recent Mercury Prize victory.
The expanded edition features star-studded collaborations with Elton John on “Talk To You” and Olivia Dean on “Rein Me In,” alongside six previously unreleased cuts.
New track “The Treadmill” channels early 2000s British rock while exploring the mental loops of trying to move forward while staying stuck in place. Johnny Davis returns on saxophone, threading through the song’s bridge with precision.
“I’m Always On Stage” opens the deluxe section with acoustic guitars layering into textured melodies. The track confronts the exhausting performance of happiness on tour, with Fender singing about forced smiles that feel “violent.” Recorded during his 56-show world tour, the song captures the weight of constant public-facing joy.
Fender wrote “Talk To You” about losing a seven-year relationship to his own mistakes. “I cheated, and it’s over,” he admits in the lyrics, chasing the impossibility of rebuilding a broken friendship. Elton John provides piano across the track after Fender called asking for help with a riff. The legendary performer couldn’t resist.
People Watching originally crashed into UK charts at number one in February 2025, outselling the rest of the top 10 combined.
The album moved 107,100 units in its first week, making it the fastest-selling British solo artist album since Harry Styles’ Harry’s House in Spring 2022.
Critics praised Fender’s social realist storytelling and willingness to document working-class Britain without sanitising its struggles.
The deluxe edition arrives on CD and vinyl alongside digital platforms. Fans who caught Fender’s London Stadium performance last summer already heard “Rein Me In” live with Dean, a moment now preserved in the recent concert film Live at London Stadium.
People Watching Deluxe Additional Tracklisting:
- I’m Always On Stage
- Talk To You (feat. Elton John)
- Fortuna’s Wheel
- Rein Me In (with Olivia Dean)
- Me and The Dog
- Tyrants
- The Treadmill
- Empty Spaces
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- Sam Fender & Olivia Dean’s Rein Me In Lyrics Meaning Unpacked: Harmonies of Regret and Release
- Sam Fender and Elton John Release ‘Talk to You’
- Sam Fender ‘People Watching’ Lyrics: A Deep Dive Into His Most Personal Track Yet
- Sam Fender’s “I’m Always on Stage” Confronts Fame’s Dark Side
- Olivia Dean’s “So Easy (To Fall In Love)” Signals a Star Finding Her Voice