Sam Fender is having another huge year. Another chart-topping record, another BRIT Award, he’s truly hitting on another level.
But instead of celebrating with stadium-sized visuals or flashy edits like most superstars, he’s gone the other way. He has quietly reunited the team behind Adolescence for something far more grounded.
The video for Little Bit Closer, shot in the Lake District, sees Adolescence star Owen Cooper back in front of the camera and Philip Barantini (Spit of You, Boiling Point) once again calling the shots. It’s more short film than music video. It’s slow, atmospheric, and emotionally restrained in all the right ways.
The story follows Cooper and a group of friends on a camping trip, where his character is clearly somewhere else. Locked in quiet contemplation and caught between the buzz of friendship and the weight of something heavier. Fender says the clip “broadly plays on the original themes in the lyrics” — which is classic Sam, refusing to spell things out but still aiming straight for the chest.
“It’s so great to be working with Phil again,” Fender said. “His video for Spit of You was my favourite… I was elated Owen could do it too after seeing his performance in Adolescence.”
Barantini added that saying yes to another Fender project was a no-brainer: “Not only is Sam an incredible artist, but he’s also a beautiful human and a great friend.”
Visually, it’s stunning. Wide open spaces, overcast skies, moments that hang in silence. It’s all done with a light touch — nothing heavy-handed, nothing that tries too hard.
Fresh off People Watching debuting at #1 and becoming 2025’s second biggest album so far, Fender could have gone big. Instead, he went honest. Little Bit Closer is just another example of this. And, in turn, another reminder that Sam still got his feet on the ground.
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