Sam Fender: Hold Out - A full circle moment

We’ve been waiting for a follow up to his first album – if Play God isn’t on your morning music playlist it rocks!

His latest release, Hold Out is lighter then his previous tracks as it unpacks a night out on the town of basic escapism which he sees right through in the philosophical observational lense we’ve known him to have.

shutterstock_1162080259 — *As one of the first tracks that Sam ever wrote, “Hold Out” is also one of the few tracks that stretch right back to when Sam first started performing with his band.*

Catchy riffs and mellow vocals charge this track reminding us of Arctic Monkeys and Kasabian. It’s a nice change from the reproduced styles / artists currently on the charts that are often just repackaged.

“We nearly released Hold Out as a single a while back. It used to be a staple in our live set when the band first got together, and I’ve always been really fond of it. It’s about going out on the lash back home which was really just a form of escape. This is going to be the last tune we put out there of the Hypersonic Missiles era. I hope you like it as much as I do.”

Whilst Hold Out doesn’t signal the start of a second album campaign, it acts as another fine statement of intent for Fender, who had already mapped out the skeletal frame of a second album before his number 1 selling debut was released last year. His rapid rise due to his unique storytelling and subject matter covered in his music.

From White Privilege speaking to the younger generation when it comes to Brexit and mental health awareness in Dead Boys, he brings messages that break the mould in his genre.

shutterstock_1162080247 — A prolific writer with a steely determination to get back into hia self-built studio space alongside the River Tyne as soon as a new song takes its shape, Sam has already spoken about his desire to better that first record, he deems a mere introduction of what he’s capable of. He needn’t be quite so tough on himself.

Hypersonic Missiles was released to widespread acclaim, declared as a new British artist with an innate ear for melody and a sharp way with his words that reflected street-level observations with global ambition. It’s often rare for an acclaimed record to return solid sales too, but Hypersonic Missiles debuted at number 1 and has since sold in excess of 100,000 copies. An important, noteworthy release for 2019.

2020 commences similarly to 2019, with Sam preparing for the BRIT Awards later this month. He follows last year’s Critics’ Choice Award with a nomination this year for Best New Artist. That’s preceded by the return of the NME Awards, where Sam finds himself similarly jousting for the Best New British Act category and the Best New Act In The World too.

For an otherwise celebratory year, an unfortunate and frustrating bout of ill health pushed back a handful of sold-out UK live dates late last year, with the rescheduled shows now fixed, including two nights of the four at Newcastle’s O2 Academy. The remaining night at Brixton Academy now lands after his Spring tour and his sold out shows at Alexandra Palace.