This reworking of Rein Me In, from Fender’s third studio album, the Mercury Prize-winning People Watching, features an extra verse about the breakdown of a relationship from a female perspective, from Dean.
“[It’s] very personal and reminded us of home, but when Olivia put her touch on it, it became a much more universal track,” he told Radio 1, adding “that’s what made it so huge and so beautiful”.
He said he wanted to “personally thank” Dean, who helped him achieve his first ever number one single, adding: “It wouldn’t have happened without Olivia obviously, but now I feel like it belongs to the fans, they’ve made it what it is”.
When asked how he’d be celebrating the achievement, Fender joked “I think I’m just gonna have a really big sandwich”.
It hasn’t been a straightforward ascent to the top for Rein Me In – originally released as a solo Fender track and repurposed as a duet in June 2025, it took eight months to reach number one in February this year.
Dean said when the track came out, external that the original version of Rein Me In was her “favourite song on Sam’s album” and it was “a pleasure to write a new verse from a female perspective”.
A lot of the song’s success as a duet comes from its authenticity, with the lyrics exploring the fallout from the end of a relationship and the difficulties faced by both parties as they try to move on from each other.
Whilst Fender’s verses feel full of anger and regret at not being able to open up and be the partner he wanted to be, they are complimented by the softer and more reflective tone of Dean’s, in which she encourages him to try again to make it work.
It has been described by Blunt Magazine’s Jake Fitzpatrick, external as “stormy, tender and anthemic” and a “love letter to the kind of songwriting that knows when to burn slow”.
The song has also received praise amongst many critics and bloggers, including Cult Following’s Ewan Gleadow, external, who says that Dean’s addition helps it to find “a new depth”, noting “charm is a big part of it too, with all those reflections on where you come from and where you’re headed”.
