Hypersonic Missiles (album)

Hypersonic Missiles is the debut studio album by English musician Sam Fender. The album was released on 13 September 2019 through Polydor Records. The album includes the singles "Play God", "Leave Fast", "Dead Boys", "That Sound", "Hypersonic Missiles", "Will We Talk?" and "The Borders". The album saw widespread critical acclaim as well as debuting at number 1 on the UK Official Albums Chart.

Hypersonic Missiles
Studio album by
Sam Fender
Released13 September 2019
Recorded2017–2019
Genre
Length48:21
LabelPolydor
Producer
Sam Fender chronology
Dead Boys
(2018)		 Hypersonic Missiles
(2019)
Singles from Hypersonic Missiles
  1. "Play God"
    Released: 30 March 2017
  2. "Leave Fast"
    Released: 14 June 2018[5]
  3. "Dead Boys"
    Released: 14 August 2018[6]
  4. "That Sound"
    Released: 22 October 2018[7]
  5. "Hypersonic Missiles"
    Released: 5 March 2019[8]
  6. "Will We Talk?"
    Released: 2 July 2019[9]
  7. "The Borders"
    Released: 1 September 2019[10]

Background

Sam Fender grew up in North Shields in North Tyneside.[11] He started obsessing over Bruce Springsteen albums after his brother introduced him to the albums Darkness on the Edge of Town and Born to Run. At the age of 13 he began to write his own music inspired by Springsteen as well as Oasis and Joni Mitchell.[12] He started to perform open mic nights with his brother where he would cover Jimi Hendrix songs as well as noughties indie rock songs. After he turned 18 he began performing paid gigs at restaurants.[13] In 2010 he was spotted performing by Ben Howard's manager who quickly took him on as a client. Following brief acting roles on the shows Vera and Wolfblood, Fender released his debut single "Play God" on 30 March 2017 before re-releasing it in anticipation of his album in January 2019. It was Fender's first single to chart, reaching number 51 in Scotland and 89 on the UK Singles Chart.[14] "Play God" was featured on the soundtrack for FIFA 19.[15]

In 2018, Fender was placed on BBC's Sound of 2018 shortlist alongside Billie Eilish, Khalid, Lewis Capaldi and winner Sigrid.[16] He released his single "Dead Boys" which was premiered as Annie Mac's Hottest Record in the World.[17] Fender released his debut EP Dead Boys on 20 November 2018 featuring the album tracks "Dead Boys", "That Sound" and "Leave Fast".[18] Alongside the EP's release, he embarked on a UK headline tour which included 3 nights at "Omeara" in London.[19] In 2019, Fender won the Critics' Choice Award at the Brit Awards.[20]

On 6 March 2019, Fender released the title track of Hypersonic Missiles. The song was described by Fender himself as an "unorthodox love song."[21] On 6 July, he announced the album alongside the release of the single "Will We Talk?". As well as this, he announced his biggest UK tour to date which completely sold out and included two nights at O2 Brixton Academy and four nights at O2 Academy Newcastle.[22] Following the album's announcement, Fender performed the fastest selling date ever at the Mouth of the Tyne Festival as well as supporting Bob Dylan and Neil Young at Hyde Park, London.[16]

Music and lyrics

Hypersonic Missiles drew heavy comparisons to Bruce Springsteen due to Fender's "lyricism and his vignettes of working-class struggle."[23] Many also drew comparisons to The Killers and Jeff Buckley blending elements of Americana, post-punk and pop rock.[24] The title track was described by Fender as being inspired by a "newly developed Russian missile that travels at something like nine times the speed of sound" as well as describing the song's protagonist as being a "tin foil hatter."[25] The track "The Borders" was described by Fender as his favourite song on the album and describes the "story of two boys growing up together and then going their separate ways." NME described the track as "chest-punching".[26] The Guardian described the track's "hypnotic, motorik beats" as well as the drum machines on "You’re Not the Only One" to The War on Drugs.[27] Fender tackles his own entitlement on the track "White Privilege" and has said that his white privilege "has affected my success, definitely, white boy with a guitar, fucking great, original, here comes another one."[24]

"Dead Boys" tackles the theme of male suicide and mental health issues as a reaction to losing a friend to suicide.[28] The track has been described as "stark" and "cathartic."[29] The track "Play God" was described by Fender being "set in an alternate dystopian reality that shares similarities with our own world."[30] "That Sound" was described as being "a celebration of music" and "a not-so-subtle middle finger to the naysayers that tend to rear their heads as soon as things start to work out for you, especially back home."[31] Clash magazine described it as "crisp power pop, it soars towards the crunching chorus, a real ear-worm that stays stuck in your head for days."[32]

"Saturday" was described by Fender at a gig at Electric Brixton in London as being about "hating your landlord."[33] "Will We Talk?" was described as "a heady blast of high-octane, melody-packed, smash'n'grab rock'n'roll that launches from the traps at full pelt and doesn't relent until the guitars and a string-section subside three minutes later."[34] The track is about one-night stands and is inspired by "The Cut" nightclub in Newcastle.[35] "Call Me Lover" is about infidelity and being 19, inspired by a girl that Fender previously knew. He also described the track as one of the few "pop songs" on the album.[36] "Leave Fast" was described by The Line of Best Fit as "an excellent study on provincial fear." The track stems from the fear of staying in your hometown forever.[37] The track "Use" was described by Pitchfork as entering Nina Simone-inspired territory.[38]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Album of the Year8.2/10[39]
Metacritic81/100[40]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[41]
Clash8/10[42]
The Guardian[27]
The Independent[23]
The Line of Best Fit8.5/10[43]
NME[44]
Pitchfork6.1/10[38]
The Skinny[45]
The Telegraph[46]

Hypersonic Missiles received critical acclaim from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 81, based on 11 reviews.[40] Alexis Petridis of The Guardian praised the album, calling it "perfectly imperfect rock". Jordan Basset of the NME after giving the album 4 out of 5, added that "the Geordie Springsteen's debut excels at documenting small-town frustration, which is why he means so much to so many people. This album isn't perfect, but he's a welcome antidote to polite chaps with guitars". AllMusic claimed "it reveals itself to be a fitting soundtrack to the weekend, addressing hopes and frustrations with a persistent intensity and rousing melodies that fall in line with the catharsis at hand."[41] In a more mixed review, Pitchfork claimed that the album had a lack of focus and was full of "mostly formulaic arrangements".[38]

Accolades
Publication Accolade Rank Ref.
Clash Top 20 Albums of 2019 13 [47]
Gigwise Top 51 Albums of 2019 14 [48]
The Independent Top 50 Albums of 2019 20 [49]
NME Top 50 Albums of 2019 38 [50]

Track listing

Adapted from Sam Fender's online store.[51]

All tracks are written by Sam Fender.

No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Hypersonic Missiles"Bramwell Bronte3:57
2."The Borders"Bronte5:32
3."White Privilege"Bronte3:29
4."Dead Boys"Bronte3:23
5."You're Not the Only One"Bronte4:35
6."Play God"Bronte3:45
7."That Sound"Bronte3:25
8."Saturday"
  • Bronte
  • Rich Costey
3:01
9."Will We Talk?"
2:42
10."Two People"Bronte3:56
11."Call Me Lover"
  • Bronte
  • Costey
  • Fender
3:21
12."Leave Fast"Bronte3:44
13."Use" (live) 3:31

Personnel

Adapted from Discogs.[52]

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[64] Gold 100,000

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

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References
  1. MacMillan, Jamie. "Sam Fender has announced his debut album 'Hypersonic Missiles'". Dork. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
  2. Atkinson, Jesse (2 September 2019). "'The Borders' is Sam Fender's final single ahead of his debut album – listen". Gigwise. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
  3. Ainsley, Helen (13 September 2019). "Sam Fender talks songwriting, Stormzy and staying true to himself: "Belief is contagious. And it's f**king beautiful"". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
  4. Greene, Andy (2 August 2019). "Sam Fender Interview: Springsteen Influence, 'Hypersonic Missiles'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  5. "Leave Fast – Single by Sam Fender". Apple Music. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
  6. "Dead Boys – Single by Sam Fender". Apple Music. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
  7. "Sam Fender shares soaring new single 'That Sound' ahead of debut EP release". NME. 22 October 2018. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
  8. "Hypersonic Missiles – Single by Sam Fender". Apple Music. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
  9. "Sam Fender shares secret of how he's getting his voice fit again". Radio X. 2 July 2019. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  10. Lavin, Will (2 September 2019). "Listen to Sam Fender's chest-punching new single 'The Borders'". NME. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  11. Hutchinson, Kate (3 August 2019). "Sam Fender: 'I don't want to cling on to the "class hero" thing'". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  12. Greene, Andy (2 August 2019). "Could Sam Fender Be the British Bruce Springsteen?". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  13. Johnston, Kathleen (31 July 2019). "Sam Fender: 'The negative effects of greedy politicians have haunted the North East for years'". GQ. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  14. Reilly, Nick (14 January 2019). "Sam Fender debuts new single 'Play God' and announces UK tour". NME. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  15. "FIFA 19 Soundtrack, featuring Childish Gambino, Gorillaz, Logic and more". Electronic Arts. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
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  29. Mathis, Raleigh (20 August 2018). "Sam Fender tackles male suicide on the stark 'Dead Boys'". The 405. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
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  64. "British album certifications – Sam Fender – Hypersonic Missiles". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 4 October 2019. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Hypersonic Missiles in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
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