England’s neglected corners have always been a focal point on Sam Fender’s records. On his third album, the North Shields native continues this exploration. What's different is that he's looking through the lens of someone who’s made it out – whose success has perhaps rendered them an outsider.

“I'm not preaching, I'm just talking," he sings on 'Crumbling Empire'. "I don’t wear the shoes I used to walk in / But I can’t help thinking where I’d be / In this crumbling empire”.

‘Chin Up’ and ‘Wild Long Lie’, meanwhile, contain heartbroken observations on how working class towns have been overrun by cocaine use. It’s a similarly downbeat feeling on ‘Something Heavy’, where Fender reflects: "What’s in the water in this town? / So many good people fallen victim to the dark.” The nostalgia-drenched LP reaches its emotional apex on the orchestral ode to his grandparents, ’Remember My Name’, which should contain a warning label for anyone with tear ducts.

Production wise, it's also the 30-year-old’s most polished and pop-facing LP. The Springsteen/War On Drugs strut is definitely still there, especially on the racing title track (unsurprising considering Adam Granduciel is a producer). That said, the familiar guitar-and-sax arrangements are tighter than ever, woven with atmospheric synths, strings and a Geordie croon at its most refined.

Topped off with adhesive, stadium-worthy choruses and brimming with unpretentious pathos, People Watching might just be Sam Fender's most shining effort to date.

9/10

Out now