Sam Fender returns with latest single ‘Seventeen Going Under’ – and we are beyond excited!

Sam Fender has released his new single ‘Seventeen Going Under,’ and of course it did not disappoint. The single is the title track and the first song off Fender’s sophomore album, which is set for release on 8^th of October. 

This latest release sees ‘Hypersonic Missiles’ singer in his natural habitat – full of exquisite lyricism, sonically familiar with guitar riffs forever at the heart of the track, and on further listening an intricately brilliant musical layering. 

‘Seventeen Going Under’ makes me excited for the return of live music and the single is crying out to be played to a venue of adoring fans. It is the perfect release after a two year gap, as Fender does not shy away from what he is best at nor attempts to change his musical style. 

The Geordie continues his Springsteen-like song-writing, and looking back a decade on, his lyrics explore the trialling and turbulent, yet wonderful times of being seventeen. Lyrics such as “See I spent my teens enraged/ Spiralling in silence/ And I armed myself with a grin/ Cause I was always a fuckin’ joker” see Sam reflecting on the class clown he used to be, but with a new understanding of the truth behind this persona. Given the events of the past year, there is no surprise as to the themes of the song, as self-reflection and looking back to times before is all we had available to us.

The most gut-wrenching climax of the song comes at the end, with Fender exclaiming “She said the debt, the debt, the debt”. These words refer to his mother and their circumstances, further embedding how he was ‘Seventeen Going Under,” however this North Shields Bruce Springsteen turns it around, singing “So I thought about shifting gear/ And how she wept and wept and wept/ Luck came and died round here.”

The song in its entirety is simply brilliant, rich in lyricism, whilst remaining intrinsically catchy. Sam Fender is back and has not disappointed by releasing a single that fits nicely in his repertoire, following up on the release of his debut album ‘Hypersonic Missiles’. Celebrating the crazy times of being seventeen in a small town and the exciting and terrifying things that come with it, ‘Seventeen Going Under’ transforms all of those feelings and emotions into a cracking, guitar-heavy track, making me extremely excited to hear it live amongst many others who can relate to the vivid picture Fender has painted. 

The anticipation for Sam Fender’s second album is killing me, but with material as good as this release I’m sure the wait will be well worth it!

 

Niamh Boorman

@niamh_boorman

Photo Credits: Jack Whitefield