Sunglasses Kid has released his second full length album called Sophomore with guests such as Miranda Carey, Tim Cappello, Jay Diggs and much more. This comes after the ridiculously impeccable first album called Graduation. Sophomore promises more catchy pop bops that definitely belong in the much loved 80s era. Sunglasses Kid has never let us down before with very unique releases compared to the majority of synthwave musicians out there. Can Sophomore impress us? Will it fail to live up to expectations? Let’s investigate.

Sophomore opens up with Meanwhile in Grosse Point which is an humorous intro nodding to films like Animal House and Breakfast Club. Miranda Carey brings her talents to the song Steal My Love which blasts open the gates with an absolute banger. Jay Diggs and Johnny Silva appear on the next song Chill which was released previously; its truly soulful and funky. Sophomores is the only song on the album that is instrumental and stars HOLOFLASH talents. Fixing Me With Love features Primo The Alien on vocals and absolutely smashes it with one of the best songs on the album. Listen To Your Heart, featuring SJBRAVO and Phaserland sounds amazing with a sweet bass line and tremendous chorus.

Stranger Love, featuring Ollie Wride, is very well known already to fans and speaks for itself for being a highlight on the album. April Fool with IVERSEN is a song that was stuck in my head when it was previewed on Sunglasses Kid’s Instagram and the song is so much better in full. Neverending Dream with Megan McDuffee, Tim Cappello and All The Damn Vampires is action packed with guests, but it is an all around perfect song to hit those synthwave and sax vibes. Cold Hearted, with SJBRAVO again, is another catchy tune that will burn straight into your brain making it impossible to forget. Summer Breeze with Miranda Carey and Pulsar.sax is different to the rest of the album as its outro ballad and signs Sophomore off perfectly.

Sophomore is arguably one of the best albums of 2020 and one of the most consistent synthwave albums we’ve listened to. Sunglasses Kid has a ridiculous talent of making amazing songs that scream 80s so accurately and will stay in your head forever. Sunglasses Kid offers something different compared to majority of music artists out there and that’s the ability to replicate such an irresistible retro sound with a modern touch. Sophomore is definitely one of the best albums of this year and it shines a beacon of hope on 2020 as it draws to a close. Graduation was brilliant, but Sophomore knocks it out of the park.

– Matthew Clewley
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