Dominic Fike is an up-and-coming artist, releasing his debut album, “What Could Possibly Go Wrong” in 2020 after having moderate success beforehand. However, his newest album “Sunburn” takes both his music and fame to new heights. With hits like, “Mama’s Boy,” and “Mona Lisa,” the latter of which was featured in the film, “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” (and was how I personally discovered him), this album has skyrocketed this artist’s popularity. Fike’s catchy and cool beats, as well as his lyrics that are both abstract and relatable, serve to separate him from his competition in the indie pop genre. However, what strengthens his music as a whole is that he does not try to revolutionize the genre, but instead take all aspects of his music to their best possible versions.
“Sunburn’s” songs tend towards the calmer side, but that does not detract from their weight or impact. “Bodies” is a prime example of how Fike manages to blend low-key instrumentals with smooth vocals to make songs that are simply easy to listen to. The track’s steady percussion and background guitars support the lyrics and Fike’s own voice instead of being the focus. And though the lyrics of “Bodies” are somewhat surface level, they nonetheless achieve a kind of relatability in its discussion of insecurities that can crop up in a relationship. FIke sings, “I kinda struggle when I think about the past, but it’s in the past/So I guess I try not to ask,” expressing his doubts through lyrical prose. “Pasture Girl” is of the same vein, instead discussing how differences in environments and technology can influence someone through his recalling a failed relationship.
Many of this album’s songs deal with heavier topics, however, with more serious tones. In, “How Much Is Weed?” Fike laments in a frantic verse, “And mama had to put a down payment by herself and ain’t nobody even try to help/ She went to jail and shit went left, and I was left,” conjuring memories of his early childhood and his parents’ absence in it. These sentiments are later echoed in the song with the lines, “I did my best, I needed rest, I got arrested/ Everybody looking at me like I’m not invested.” He relates his songwriting to his personal life in raw ways, not sugar-coating the heavy themes he tackles. This is accentuated by his vocals in these parts, where he forsakes the overall rhythm and melody of the song for rapid-fire lyricism where you can truly feel him pouring his heart into the music. This can be seen again in “Dark,” about Fike’s struggles with fame and forgetting his roots. Though it can be easy to get lost in the catchy tunes of this track, Fike almost demands your attention through his visceral voice as he intones, “Then after she broke up with me, I became who my mama hates, I became my dad/ I would break promises that I would make to my favorite people.”
However, all albums have their own flaws, and “Sunburn” is not exempt. Unsurprisingly, not every song here is a masterpiece. Though none of them are truly bad, some are simply not quite up to par comparatively. “7 Hours” features uninteresting and repetitive lyrics along with a generic overall sound. Though it is a perfectly serviceable song, it ultimately feels much too safe for an otherwise poignant and impassioned album. And “Think Fast,” a collaboration with Weezer, falls mostly flat for similar reasons and being a little too low-key.
Dominic Fike has broken new ground with “Sunburn,” an impressive feat for an already respected and accomplished artist. Though he doesn’t yet stand with the true titans of the indie scene, it’s hard to deny the authenticity of songs like, “Sick,” and “Dancing In The Courthouse” that prove Fike’s talent yet further. This album stands as a testament to his potential, and his career has far still to go.
