Sam Fender

If I haven't talked your ear off about Sam Fender yet, here I go...

Picture it: a young Springsteen (Sam toured with the Boss), 28 years old, with three hit albums under his belt, and already massive in the UK and Europe.

I first heard Sam on my first trip out of the US, joining some buddies on a road trip across Ireland. We were listening to his debut album, Hypersonic Missiles, and the first song hooked me. That voice, that guitar, those lyrics, it all just hit.

Sam's been open about his anxiety and ADHD, how they've shaped him, and how music became his lifeline. In 2022, he canceled several tour dates, saying, "I've neglected myself for over a year now and haven't dealt with things that have deeply affected me." He's also spoken candidly about encouraging men to express their emotions, saying, "I try to be a champion for lads to say how they feel."

His lyrics often explore grief, guilt, loss, and identity. But what makes his work so compelling is the balance. For every heavy or introspective line, there's a soaring melody, a driving beat, or a chorus that lingers in your head. His hooks sneak in the heaviness before you notice you feel something big.

In Little Bit Closer, he explores the psychic confusion and hurt caused by organized religion. "The guilt it gave me never really left me. I was just a boy looking up at the sky". He doesn't stay in the pain, though. He moves through it, pointing toward what still makes him feel connected. It's vulnerable, bold, and cathartic.

And then there's Mantra, a song about breaking cycles and choosing a new path. It's one of those tracks that meets you where you are and gives you a little nudge forward.

Art and music are essential to the human experience. They help us process what we can't always explain and give shape to what we're feeling. Sometimes, catching a glimpse of ourselves in someone else's work brings us a little closer to our true selves and each other.

Give Little Bit Closer a listen [Link to Little Bit Closer]