Sophomore Slump features a comparison of a musician’s first and second albums, as well as a discussion of where those albums fit in their larger discography.

The Killers

The Killers formed in 2001 in Las Vegas with frontman Brandon Flowers and Dave Keuning, and after a string of other short-term musicians, the band’s lineup was solidified in 2002 with Mark Stoermer and Ronnie Vannucci Jr. Flowers has also released two solo albums.

Hot Fuss

The Killers debuted in June of 2004 with Hot Fuss, an album heavily inspired by the new wave and post-punk sounds of the ‘80s. It ultimately reached #7 on the Billboard charts.

Hot Fuss opens with the catchy but dark “Jenny Was a Friend of Mine,” a tale of a boy being questioned regarding the murder of Jenny. And from then on, it’s a pop-rock masterpiece. It moves into “Mr. Brightside,” an incredibly catchy song that’s not only one of the best on the album but is still one of the band’s most well-known and beloved songs—with nearly 2.5 billion streams on Spotify, it dwarfs “Somebody Told Me,” the album’s lead single, which has yet to crack 1 billion but certainly will soon enough. The album ranges from other upbeat and catchy songs like “Smile Like You Mean It” and “Change Your Mind” to ballads like “Andy, You’re a Star” and “Everything Will Be Alright,” the final track of the original release.

And as great as “Mr. Brightside” is, the album’s true standout is “All These Things That I’ve Done,” which starts slow and builds to a proper rock song, finally culminating in a full-blown gospel choir. It’s a true testament to the band’s songwriting. “Mr. Brightside” is catchy as hell, but “All These Things That I’ve Done” is five minutes of brilliance. Also of note is “Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll,” a track included as a bonus track on some releases, as well as on streaming platforms, but not on the original. It’s exclusion was a mistake, and it’s a good thing the band rectified it in the years since. It’s a wonderful song, and while it admittedly doesn’t quite fit with the tone of the rest of the album, it would be criminal for it to be left as a rarity or B-side.

Sam’s Town

Two years after releasing Hot Fuss, The Killers followed it up with Sam’s Town, named for a casino and hotel in the band’s hometown of Las Vegas.

Sam’s Town opens strong with the title track, complete with great guitar riffs and solid vocals from Flowers. After the brief “Enterlude”—a sweet little track often included in the band’s setlists—it then launches into “When You Were Young,” a wonderful piece of early-2000s indie rock with raucous guitars, memorable lyrics, and a melody as catchy as anything on Hot Fuss. It’s a strong start, and the album plunges forward from there. Like Hot Fuss, although some songs are stronger than others, there’s not a bad one on it. Among its best, on top of “When You Were Young,” are “For Reasons Unknown,” the sweet “Read My Mind,” and “Bones.” The synthesizers Hot Fuss featured so prominently are still there, they’re just more subdued.

Final Thoughts

When I think of a sophomore slump, I think of The Killers, Hot Fuss, Sam’s Town, and how some time and distance can drastically change the perception of an album. Starting this newsletter with this pair of albums was the most obvious choice for me.

When I was in high school, my morning routine was this: I’d lay in bed as long as possible, and then I’d turn on the tiny TV on my nightstand and flip between VH1 and MTV—which then still played music videos in the early-morning and late-night hours—and CUTV, later renamed MTVU, which was broadcast from a nearby college and played music videos almost 24/7, with a focus on alternative music. The impact MTVU had on shaping my listening habits as a teenager cannot be understated.

One such morning, I was putting on my Catholic school uniform and doing my makeup slapping on some black eyeliner when I caught a segment introducing this new band called The Killers, with their debut single “Somebody Told Me.” I was all in. It had a synth-heavy sound that reminded me of music from the ‘80s I was raised to love, thanks to my parents, but they still sounded new.

One of my other habits as a teenager was after church on Sundays, we’d sometimes end up at the mall, and instead of a cash allowance, I’d weasel my way into an album or two in FYE. I’d keep a mental list of which MTVU songs and musicians I was the most interested in, and I’d scour the racks for their albums. Or I’d compile an extensive list come Christmastime. One way or the other, I ended up with Hot Fuss in my possession, and I was hooked from the first notes of “Jenny Was a Friend of Mine.” I loved every second of it, and it remained in heavy rotation on my bus rides to and from school. There are a few albums whose tracklistings I have memorized and whose songs I’m so familiar with, I expect to hear the next track on the album whenever I hear one on its own. I know every word to every song. To call it one of my favorite albums of the early 2000s would be an understatement.

And so two years later, when Sam’s Town was announced and released, I was excited. I could not wait to hear what this new favorite band of mind would do next. I put the CD in my portable CD player, hit “play,” and I was…disappointed. The synth-heavy sound I had fallen in love with had shifted to more guitars, and it just wasn’t the same. I enjoyed the album, yes, but surely, this was why the term “sophomore slump” was ever coined. Critics shared this disappointment, and Sam’s Town generally received mixed to negative reviews.

In retrospect, this is insane.

In retrospect? Hot Fuss sounds like a relic of the early 2000s—which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, at least not for those of us who were loving the music then—and Sam’s Town sounds like a fledgling band truly coming into their own, with a sound quintessential Killers. While Hot Fuss includes some of their best and biggest to this day, like “Mr. Brightside” and “All These Things That I’ve Done,” Sam’s Town is a timeless album which solidified The Killers’ place in rock music, with better and more interesting musical composition. With songs like “When You Were Young,” “For Reasons Unknown,” “Read My Mind,” and “Bones,” to call it anything but a gem is absurd. They’re just as catchy as anything on Hot Fuss, and the only difference is a shift in sound. Had Sam’s Town come first, or even later in their discography, it would’ve been just as beloved. Fortunately, the passage of time has vindicated the band and album. Fans now hail it as one of the band’s best, and deservedly so. One of the most entertaining things to me as someone who lived through the release of both albums is the utter confusion of younger fans over why Sam’s Town was so horribly received.

The Killers followed Sam’s Town with Day & Age in 2008, a return to the synth sound of Hot Fuss, most notably on songs like “Human” and “Spaceman”—and the shift in sound was presumably a response to the negative reaction to Sam’s Town. While Day & Age is another great release from the band, it’s interesting to consider what it might’ve been instead had the response been different and the band leaned into the sound on Sam’s Town.

Hot Fuss—and Sam’s Town—were truly just the beginning for The Killers. The band has continued to record and release music in the two decades(!) since Hot Fuss, for a total of seven studio albums so far, plus a B-sides compilation, live albums, greatest-hits compilations, and a Christmas compilation. They also still put on one hell of a show.

Is there a specific musician whose first two albums you’d like me to dive into? Give me a suggestion! Is there another musical-related topic you’re just dying to hear my thoughts on? Let me know! Is there a burning music-related question you’re dying to ask me? Ask away!