A song cannot often straddle the line between personal diary entry and universal anthem, but with “Second Chances,” New York City’s Shara Strand manages that shimmering feat.
The track is dressed in sparkly 80s synths and is a strong testament to Strand’s personal growth as a musician and human being, like few will ever hear. It’s a song that not only echoes the past, it amplifies it, recontextualizing retro vibes into something new, timely, and accurate, an anthem about inner growth, hope, and taking back the courage to love.
The song is redolent of the first beat. Those synth lines gleam like city lights at midnight, and Shara’s voice drifts effortlessly over the production, balancing openness and strength. The chorus? Infectious. Anthemic in all the ways, it pulses with a hopeful urgency that feels precisely custom-made for blasting with the windows down or dance-moving your way out of heartbreak and into feelings-free healing. “Second Chances” is not just a catchy tune, it’s about resilience, of learning from history and not being bound by it. Shara sings about second chances, and she is also one. Her words are anchored in actual feeling, making the personal into something universally resonant for anyone who’s ever messed up, healed, and had the guts to do it again.
What’s so appealing here is how easily Strand balances a throwback sensibility with a contemporary pop one. Her delivery has an honest-to-god honesty, a way with a story that cuts through the hoary old gloss and smacks you right in the heart. “Second Chances,” with Rebbel’s clean production accentuating each thump, simultaneously feels timeless and right on time.
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