Sam Fender is a guitarist and a singer-songwriter who combines pop leaning indie rock with E Street Band type punchy heartland rock elements. No, he does not sound like Bruce, not with his higher pitched voice and the ability to clearly articulate words for sure. What he has, however, is strong working class roots, songs that chronicle small town England in the industrial north, a clear conviction in his politics, and loads of passion. He can write solid hooks and emotionally resonant tunes. He has an ear for epic song structures and knows how to use them to raise the level of drama, which comes handy when he tears into blustering guitar lines and soaring vocals. All this results in a highly cathartic kind of music that also tacks close to the pop lane, perhaps a tad more than many of its predecessors.
