Dominic Fike is an artist that has always really intrigued me. I remember when he first started to become famous online several years ago. He originally gained popularity for being in a rap group that started to make major waves in Florida; during this time, he also started releasing random songs online and started to accrue a following as a solo artist. He got noticed by many major record labels for these releases, leading to him being signed by Columbia Records. While he was on house arrest in 2018, he recorded his debut mixtape, Don’t Forget About Me, Demos; this EP got released in October of 2018, immediately putting him on the map as an up-and-coming superstar. Don’t Forget About Me, Demos was lauded by music fans and critics alike, as his ability to mesh genres was uncanny and it seemed like there was no limit to his artistry(I personally loved this project as well). In early 2019, Dominic Fike started collaborating with Brockhampton on much of their music, further cementing him as an exciting artist to watch. After releasing a few stand-alone singles in 2019, Dominic Fike dropped his much-anticipated album What Could Possibly Go Wrong in the summer of 2020. This album was praised for its best moments, but most critics thought it had a bit too many filler tracks. After taking a little break from music to act in the second season of Euphoria, Dominic Fike has not returned with his second full-length record, Sunburn. This is an album I have been looking forward to(even if his debut record disappointed me a bit after how much I loved his previous releases), so let’s just get into it. Here is how I feel about Dominic Fike’s new album Sunburn. Please let me know in the comments what your favorite songs are from Sunburn, as well as how you feel about it as a whole.
Dominic Fike gets the album started with ‘How Much Is Weed?’ This song feels like a modern version of some of the Pop-Rock bands that were big in the mid to late 2000s. When this song comes on, I immediately think of bands like Plain White Tees or All American Rejects. The instrumental for this song is super low-key, as it just consists of a light and breezy faded electric guitar riff that is put over a distorted fast-paced drum beat. Dominic Fike sing-raps on this song, which sort of contrasts the style of instrumental and gives the song texture. I like the way his vocals are altered, as it adds to the lo-fi feeling of the song. On ‘How Much Is Weed?’ Dominic Fike is singing about his crazy life and upbringing and how no one expected him to get to this point of success. ‘Ant Pile,’ is one of the singles released in anticipation of this album; this is one of my favorite songs of 2023 so far, and it is one of the reasons I was so excited to hear this record. This is a Country-Rock banger that sounds so retro and cool. This song feels like a fusion of the Southern Rock from the 1970s and the Bluesy Rock that was big in the 1990s. I can hear elements of bands like Foghat or ZZ Top, but I can also hear some influence from Lenny Kravitz or Sheryl Crow. The guitar riff that drives this song is so funky and fun, and the drums have an upbeat and bouncy nature that makes me want to dance and party when I hear it. Dominic Fike shows how his diversity as a vocalist on this track, flexing his range at some points while sing-rapping at other points, giving the song so much texture. On ‘Ant Pile,’ Dominic Fike is singing about a girl that he grew up with that he was infatuated with; even though she is never faithful to him but he still always goes back to her. ‘Think Fast,’ which features Weezer, is actually an interpolation of the iconic Weezer song ‘Undone(The Sweater Song).’ The first verse and bridge of this song use Rivers Cuomo’s vocals and the instrumental in these sections feels like a Country Rock version of the original song. The rest of the track has a weird Country-Trap sound that sort of keeps the melody of ‘Undone(The Sweater Song).’ During the Country-Rap sections of the song, Dominic Fike sing-raps in a way that differs from Rivers Cuomo’s vocals. To be honest, I do not know how I feel about this track. I appreciate its sentiment, but I am wishy-washy about its execution. On ‘Think Fast,’ Dominic Fike is singing about how he does not trust his girl and knows that she is being unfaithful. ‘Sick’ is an additional track that reminds me of the Pop-Rock made by bands like the Plain White Tees in the early to mid-2000s. This song has a sweet and pleasant guitar-driven melody that is complemented by various synths and is put over a fast-paced Pop-Rock beat that is very danceable. To be honest, I am not crazy about this instrumental as it is just too watered-down for me. Dominic Fike’s vocals on this track, on the other hand, are great. He demonstrated his wide vocal range on ‘Sick,’ and the way in which he constantly switches up his flow breaks up the boring nature of the instrumental. On ‘Sick,’ Dominic Fike is singing about how he can not be friends with his ex because he still loves her. ‘7 Hours’ is a warm and easy-going Country-Trap track that fits in very well with the Country music landscape of today. If you are into artists like Morgan Wallen or Kane Brown, you will like this song. I do not have much to say about this song. I do not want to rag on it because I know that a lot of people enjoy this style of music, but it is just not for me. On ‘7 Hours,’ Dominic Fike is singing about doing whatever he has to to be with his partner. ‘7 Hours’ is decent for what it is(I guess), but it is not one I will be actively trying to listen to again.
‘Dancing In The Courthouse’ was the first single released in anticipation of this record. When I first heard this track, I was not crazy about it, and I did not know what to expect from the album(my opinion on the potential of the album changed when I heard ‘Ant Pile,’ as you now know). This song has a similar Country-Trap sound to the song that precedes it. I will say, in my opinion, this song has a more complex instrumental and Dominic Fike’s vocal performance is ways better than on ‘7 Hours.’ Even though that is the case, the melody and beat on ‘7 Hours’ is more inviting, so I could see that track ending up becoming more popular. On ‘Dancing In The Courthouse,’ is singing about standing up for yourself and not letting the opinions and actions of others bring you down. ‘Mona Lisa’ was released as a single for the new Spiderman: Across The Spiderverse movie at the beginning of June. This one has quickly become a fan favorite, and it is easy to see why. This is a sweet Dance-Pop song that will make anyone feel good when they hear it. It has such a welcoming and entertaining guitar-driven melody that is complemented by a groovy bassline which is put over a fast beat that will get anyone moving when they hear it. Dominic Fike’s vocal performance on this song is not necessarily exceptional, but it is very even-keeled and fits the energy of the song well. ‘Mona Lisa’ is the perfect song for the bar or club, as it is bound to get people moving when it plays. On ‘Mona Lisa,’ Dominic Fike is singing about being in love he sees his significant other in everything he does and everywhere he is. The best way I can describe ‘Bodies’ is that it feels like a slower version of the song that precedes it. This is a relaxing Pop-Rock track with a similar melody to ‘Mona Lisa.’ If ‘Mona Lisa’ is for the club, then this song is for the kickback. I like the way Dominic Fike sing-raps on this track, as his flow is perfect for this beat. The way the vocals are layered on ‘Bodies’ is cool as well; the vocal arrangement gives the song some needed texture. On ‘Bodies,’ Dominic Fike seems to be singing about the same girl he was infatuated with on ‘Mona Lisa.’ It seems as if the relationship is progressing nicely, and he is trying to not let his insecurities and jealousy ruin the good thing they have. The laid-back feeling of ‘Bodies’ continues on ‘Sunburn.’ Instead of having a Pop-Rock feeling though, this song has more of a Hip Hop feeling. It reminds me of the Pop-Rap made popular by rappers like G Eazy or Hoodie Allen in the kid 2010s. I could see this song being really big on college campuses across the nation. It Backpack Rap sound that I can remember hearing all night at House parties when I was 19. My favorite thing about this song by far is the vocal performance from Dominic Fike. The diversity in his rap flows and the complexity in his vocals, when he is singing, outweigh the simplicity of the instrumental, giving the song a warm and all-encompassing feeling. On ‘Sunburn,’ Dominic Fike is talking about his upbringing and how tough it was at times. This song is also like a love letter to Florida, as Dominic Fike feels that he will always be very connected to where he is from. ‘Pasture Child’ is a song with a Pop-Rap sound that is not unlike the song before it; this track feels a lot more retro than ‘Sunburn,’ though. Whereas the instrumental for ‘Sunburn’ reminded me of the music from the early 2010s, ‘Pasture Child’ reminds me of music from the late 1990s. The instrumental for this track has a Soft-Rock sound that makes me think of artists like Uncle Kracker, Michelle Branch, or LFO. This track has a light and snug Pop-Rock riff that is put over a relaxing and subtle drum beat; everything about this track feels like a sunny day at the beach on a summer day. Dominic Fike’s vocal performance on this song is not exceptional, but it does go with the instrumental. His vocal delivery is just as laid-back as the instrumental, adding to the friendly feeling of the song. ‘Pasture Child’ is another love song about Dominic Fike’s significant other; on this one, he sings about her past and explains why she is the way she is.
‘4×4’ is a complete switch-up from what we have heard on the album to this point. With this track, Dominic Fike pivots to straight-up Folk music. This song has no beat, with the instrumental solely consisting of a couple of guitars playing cozy riffs off of each other. I enjoy how the guitars are tuned so differently(with one of them becoming distorted at times), as the competing nature of the guitars gives the song so much texture. ‘4×4’ has one of my favorite vocal performances on the album to this point. The emotion in his voice is so palpable, and the rich tone he sings with makes the song sound so affable. On ‘4×4,’ Dominic Fike is singing about how the pursuit of a perfect life is not worth it. After all, once you reach what you aspired for, you realized you are still not happy because you sacrificed so much. The best way I can describe ‘Frisky’ is that it is a funky Folk-Rap song. It is really unlike anything being made by anyone else, and it feels like the kind of song that only Dominic Fike could make. The melody is driven by a groovy bassline that sounds like it belongs in a Southern Funk song and an acoustic guitar melody with a Country-Folk sound; this melody is put over a quick Pop-Rap beat that contrasts the melody but still somehow sounds so natural. Dominic Fike’s vocal performance on this track is excellent; he demonstrates an awesome vocal range on this song, and the way he switches from a super high to a low tone gives the song so much life and makes it so fun to listen to. On ‘Frisky,’ Dominic Fike is singing about getting drunk and partying the night away with his lover. ‘Mama’s Boy’ was the last single released before this album came out. Like ‘Ant Pile,’ it made me very excited to hear the record because it is so unique and cool. Like ‘Frisky,’ ‘Mama’s Boy’ has a modern Folk sound that I could not imagine hearing from many other artists. This track is a lot slower and more deliberate than ‘Frisky,’ though.’ It also has a way more complex instrumental. The melody for this track is driven by a chunky and slow guitar riff that is complemented by various weird, squeaky sound effects. At times, the guitar riff gets very distorted, giving the song a sludgy and almost Industrial feeling at times. Dominic Fike’s vocals on this track are just as weird as the instrumental. On this track, Dominic Fike sings with a strange high pitch that is super squeaky and almost abrasive. The way the vocals are edited makes them sound grating at some times and soothing at other times. ‘Mama’s Boy’ is an odd and inventive track that shows how unique Dominic Fike can be when he wants to be. On ‘Mama’s Boy,’ Domini Fike is singing about his off-kilter relationship with his mom. Even though he loves her and wants the best for her, he knows he is not a “mama’s boy” because if he was he would do her bidding and spend more time with her. ‘Dark’ transitions back to an acoustic Folk-Rap sound. This song is driven by a melancholy guitar riff that is put over a faded percussion beat that is hardly audible. Toward the end of the song, the chug of a distorted electric guitar comes in and out. This makes it seems like a heavy guitar riff is going to start up, but unfortunately, this never happens. Dominic Fike’s vocals on this track are alright, but I feel like they do not convey the emotion of the lyrics well enough. He lackadaisically sing-raps his way through this song, and they just do not capture how deep the song is. In ‘Dark,’ Dominic Fike raps about how hard his life was before he got famous and how he hurt so many of the people around him. He knows that he was not a good person back then and regrets a lot of his decisions. Dominic Fike closes out the album on a light yet downtrodden note with the song ‘What Kinda Woman.’ This is an acoustic Pop-Rock song that reminds me a lot of some of a few specific artists from the early 2000s. When I hear this track, I immediately think of Jason Mraz and Jach Johnson. This song has the kind of bright and sunny riff that those artists are famous for. This song has the kind of melody that makes me want to be on a beach watching a sunset. Dominic Fike sings with a high and squeaky pitch in this song that contrasts the calm nature of the melody. This vocal performance gives the song so much texture and makes it way more complex and interesting than it would be if he had sung with a more “normal” tone. In ‘What Kinda Woman,’ Dominic Fike is singing about someone who has hurt him. He is wondering what happened to them for them to want to treat others the way they do. This is definitely not the most positive way to end the record, but it does fit the record’s tone, and I think it is a compelling way to close Sunburn out.
I stated in the introduction that Dominic Fike’s debut album What Could Possibly Go Wrong was highly anticipated by the music world but was overall thought of as a bit of a letdown overall. It had a lot of great moments on it, but it had too many mediocre tracks that dragged the album as a whole down. Regrettably, I feel the same way about Sunburn. This record has so many moments that I truly love. It has three songs that I would consider among my favorites of the year to this point. Weirdly, all three of these songs are singles. It is as if he released the album’s best music before it even came out. It also has a bunch of boring or unremarkable tracks that just do not engage me in any way. Honestly, sometimes I feel like the instrumentals weigh down the vocal performances and the lyricism on this record. There are quite a few songs that would be so much better with a bit more complex or nuanced instrumentals, and I feel like the focus is taken away from Dominic Fike’s lyrical and vocal talents because of this. As a whole, Sunburn is not what I thought or wanted it to be, but it still a quite a bit of quality, and it includes a few tracks that I know I will be listening to frequently in the future.
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