Study: Critics, Not Fans, Perpetuate the 'Sophomore Slump' Myth
2024-12-23
A new study challenges the common belief that bands' second albums are inherently worse than their debuts. Researchers analyzed thousands of album ratings from both professional critics and fans, finding that critics, not fans, consistently gave lower scores to second albums. This suggests a bias among critics, potentially driven by social conformity and the pre-existing notion of a 'sophomore slump,' rather than an objective decline in musical quality.
(phys.org)