Second album syndrome

Sophomore album is a term for a band or artist's second album. It is a commonly held belief among music aficionados that this second album, rather than the debut album, is the release that actually sets the tone for an artist's career. The equivalent term in British music criticism is the "difficult second album". "Sophomore Slump" or "second album syndrome" are terms used to describe when the follow up to a well-received album or film is a critical and commercial disappointment. Conquering the sophomore slump, in the sight of music critics, is often a sign of future success.

Causes of the sophomore slump/ second album syndrome

The sophomore release from a band or artist whose first album received widespread critical acclaim is often awaited with a certain amount of trepidation. The public usually expects that a follow up to a stunning debut will be just as good, if not better, than its predecessor.

A debut album is essentially that musical act's "best of" as they've most likely been writing for years and have chosen their top material. Traditionally, pressure from a record company will be high to put out a second album soon, however, the musical act has been quite busy performing live and making the press and publicity rounds so their second album has a lot less incubation time before production.

Examples of sophomore albums

The listed albums are all sophomore albums, some of which were more successful than others.

• Aaliyah - One In A Million
• Alanis Morissette - Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie
• Ashanti - Chapter II
• Astreal - Fragments of the Same Dead Star
• Belle & Sebastian - If You're Feeling Sinister
• Belly - King
• Britney Spears - Ooops!...I Did It Again
• Bronski Beat - Hundreds and Thousands
• The Charlatans - Between 10th and 11th
• Christina Aguilera - Stripped
• The Clash - Give 'Em Enough Rope
• Counting Crows - [[[Recovering the Satellites]]
• Cyndi Lauper - True Colors
• Destiny's Child - The Writing's On The Wall
• Dido - Life for Rent
• Elastica - The Menace
• Electrico - Hip City
• Fall Out Boy -From Under the Cork Tree
• Frank Black - Teenager of the Year
• Frankie Goes to Hollywood - Liverpool
• Garbage - Version 2.0
• Gomez - Liquid Skin
• Grandaddy - the Sophtware Slump
• Gravity Kills - Manipulated
• Guns N Roses - Use Your Illusion
• Gus Gus - Is This Normal?
• Humpback Oak - Ghostfather
• Interpol - Antics
• Joy Division - Closer
• Kula Shaker - Peasants, Pigs, and Astronauts
• Liz Phair - Whip Smart
• Madonna - Like a Virgin
• Moonshake - The Sound Your Eyes Can Follow
• Mos Def - The New Danger
• Muse - Origin of Symmetry
• My Chemical Romance - Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge
• Nirvana - Nevermind
• Norah Jones - Feels Like Home
• Oasis - (What's the Story) Morning Glory?
• The Observatory - Blank Walls
• Orgy - Vapor Tranmission
• Pearl Jam - Vs.
• Radiohead - The Bends
• RBD - Nuestro Amor
• The Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream
• Spice Girls - Spiceworld
• Soundgarden - Louder Than Love
• The Stone Roses - Second Coming
• The Strokes - Room On Fire
• Styx - Styx II
• Terence Trent D'Arby - Neither Fish Nor Flesh
• TLC - CrazySexyCool
• Traveling Wilburys - Vol. 3
• Tweet - It's Me Again
• Weezer - Pinkerton
• Yaz - You And Me Both
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Show Your Bones

What could be viewed as a good second release might sometimes seem worse (even if it is not). THe reason for this may be because the new material no longer breaks boundaries, which the first may have done.