Sun City — Forever (2025) | Review

2026-02-15 4 min read

Some albums don’t ask to be analyzed right away — they ask to be felt first.

Forever, the debut album by Danish trio Sun City, captures that dreamlike moment when 1980s radio seemed to speak directly to the future.

Between arena rock and emotional synthwave — a fusion we call Rockwave — the album revives bold melodies, earnest emotion and choruses built to outlast time.

Text by Fábio César — Original Article, Area Orbital (Brazil), 2026.

SUN CITY — FOREVER (2025)
Style: Melodic Synthwave with AOR heritage
For listeners of: Chicago, LeBrock, FM-84 (especially alongside Ollie Wride)

Sun City: Forever

One of the great passions of the 1980s was that space between radio pop and hard rock — especially European melodic hard rock and American arena rock, rooted in the AOR tradition.

That’s how I tend to organize artists as varied as Icehouse, The Outfield, Chicago, Boston, Journey, Foreigner, and Asia.

What they shared were emotionally charged songs, expansive melodic choruses, and a scale designed for large crowds.

That is precisely the space Sun City occupies on their aptly titled debut album, Forever.

…

The trio — Chris Catton, Mads Noye, and Jonas Klintström Larsen — clearly leans toward the pop side of that spectrum – closer to the radio-savvy sensibility of Mr. Mister, solo Glenn Frey (think of the urban ballad “You Belong to the City”), or 38 Special.

Chris Catton’s vocals are excellent — and more importantly, they feel authentic.
They sit precisely within the AOR tradition the band embraces, without sounding forced or theatrical. In the synthwave and retro spheres, that balance between emotional depth and arena-ready polish is rare.

The backing vocals are equally refined, carrying a subtlety that recalls Phil Collins’ solo work, TOTO, or even vocal groups like NewSong.

Another standout element is Jonas Larsen’s eloquent saxophone work, which shines between choruses and lifts the songs into another dimension.
Few elements in this style carry as much nostalgic weight as a well-timed sax line.

Instrumentally, the album features LinnDrums and classic synths like the Juno — as expected from artists working within synthwave — alongside guitar tones that evoke traditional AOR rock, here tempered with a touch of soul that adds charm rather than weight.

While the first three tracks immediately stand out, Forever maintains a consistent level of quality throughout, making it worthwhile for anyone who appreciates FM-driven songwriting with a forward gaze.

Artwork

The album’s presentation also deserves attention. The cover simulates a vinyl sleeve: the band stands before an enormous, almost threatening Sun, while the vast universe stretches behind them, scattered with stars. Eternal night. Infinite space …

And then there’s the word “Forever” — suggestive, almost cosmic, as if the group were attributing a timeless dimension to creative expression.

Perhaps art is one of the ways we push back against transience — not by claiming permanence, but by leaving something that resonates beyond its own moment.

In that sense, Forever gestures toward more than nostalgia. It hints at continuity.

In the end, Forever is above all an album for those who grew up with songs too large to remain confined to the past — or for listeners discovering that emotional synthwave can converse naturally with the legacy of ’80s adult rock without losing its own identity.

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© 2026 Area Orbital — All rights reserved.
This article is an original, human-authored work by Fábio César, first published by Area Orbital (Brazil).
English version adapted for international readers by the Area Orbital editorial team.
[Read the original Portuguese edition → areaorbital.com.br]
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