Sam Fender’s ‘All Is On My Side’ is a touching, soothing and strikingly nostalgic mosaic of sounds-- a single that captures lost memories as wonderfully as it sets the ground for new ones.

Fender’s voice rings with wistful notes of classic eighties music, the electric guitar strumming along to heartfelt, moody words---something the music video epitomizes through its home video footage cut through Fender’s European Tour. It’s been said that the single is an immensely popular request for his live shows, so it is only right that the music video hints at the ambiance being developed at his concerts. 

This young singer-songwriter from the north-east of England has been piquing the attention of his fellow Brits for quite a while now, having been one of the recipients of the BBC’s Sound of 2018, a telling accolade that has so far predicted the successes of some of the most exciting artists on the rise nowadays, such as Billie Eilish, Maggie Rogers, and Lewis Capaldi. Fender’s sound is fresh, robust and diverse, yet it holds a bittersweet quality to it, a style that summons the charming rhythms of the years gone by. Fender is known for his work on the guitar, and that is reflected in his songs that do not shy away from showcasing the many strains of guitars, and their evocative sounds. 

His debut record Hypersonic Missiles was released earlier this year and was preceded by three singles: "Hypersonic Missiles", "Will We Talk?" and "The Borders". He’s never been one to hold back from tackling heavy topics in his songs, and he does so in this album by referring to mental health, addiction, hopelessly, vanity and materialism. He has talked about the challenges of becoming more famous as his songs received increased airtime.

This game instantly makes you more self-conscious. Instantly makes you more vain. Instantly more self-centred. You spend your entire life reading reviews of yourself, talking to people about yourself, looking at photos of yourself, posting photos of yourself, writing captions of yourself.”

Yet as long as he focuses on the music, he will certainly be able to retain his humility and his creative drive.

 Indie-rock