Sam Fender finds out this weekend where Hypersonic Missiles will position in the charts. We give our verdict on the debut record ahead of the reveal.

Sam Fender has had a whirlwind of a year in the build up to the release of Hypersonic Missiles. Receiving constant praise for every track he’s released, selling out his winter tour months in advance and now has released his debut album. 

The album bursts to life with the politically charged ‘Hypersonic Missiles’ and ‘White Privilege’. Singing about a generation feeling misled, unrepresented and lied to, ‘White Privilege’ hits the right notes:

”Don’t wanna hear about Brexit, them old cunts fucked up our exit… my generation was duped, the youth were left out the loop. Lies on both sides of the fence left me completely bereft…”

As an election in the UK looms with young voters not certain if they’ll be able to register in time, those words still ring true today as they did in the wake of the result of the Brexit referendum back in 2016.

Then heart-wrenching with the Springsteen-esque ‘The Borders’ and cries for help regarding male suicide on ‘Dead Boys’. Fender reels no punches with his songwriting ability.

He preaches for a generation that feel betrayed or neglected, who also resonate with the angst of one night stands or developing cold feet. He leaves no stone unturned. Fender’s delivery is strong and makes his messages clear.

A mixture of playful melodies and toned down blues, although what is present all the way through is how he tells a vivid story on each track.

While the album hits the ground running, it does lose momentum in the final quarter, with a collection of slower songs changing the pace of the album. This may not be Fender’s fault, just a re-positioning of the track list may have fixed this.

Watch Sam Fender’s live performance of ‘Will We Talk?’ in VEVO studios as part of their VEVO Lift series below:

Hypersonic Missiles hits the target with the North Shields singer striking all the right chords on his debut. A thought-provoking record about a generation that feel unrepresented and trying to find their place in the world.

Verdict: 7/10

Songs worth putting on repeat: ‘The Borders’, ‘White Privilege’ and ‘Will We Talk?’