This summer, Dominic Fike released a new album, and it’s called Sunburn. 

Fike is a singer raised in Florida, and what I find most interesting about him is that he produced his first record deal on house arrest for assaulting a police officer. 

The thing is, Dominic Fike’s been through it. He didn’t have a father figure growing up, his mom was in and out of jail with a heroin addiction, and he grew up in poverty in a majority white neighborhood. 

He was in a band called Brockhampton for a while, and eventually branched out to making his own music. I love Brockhampton and all, but thank goodness for that. 

He started off with the classic first-album (on house arrest), Don’t Forget Me Demos, which, even though it only has like 6 songs, they’re gold. It’s a lot softer than his other albums, but it contains the song everyone knows. Like, if someone actually does know Dominic Fike, in which case they are my favorite person ever, they’ve heard 3 Nights. 

Actually, that’s not true. You might know Dom from his collaborations with Kevin Abstract, Remi Wolf, Justin Bieber, Halsey, Weezer, and Paul McCartney. Yeah, I said it. This guy knows his stuff. 

He then released his second album, What Could Possibly Go Wrong, and I consider this album his defining collection of songs. This album has the kind of songs you listen to on full blast in the middle of class and pretend you’re cooler than everyone else there. I could keep going, but that’s an article for another day. 

Before I go off on an even bigger tangent, Sunburn is unlike anything I’ve heard from him. All that I just said, a full 180 is this new album. It’s just homely, happy, wholesome, nostalgic Florida vibes and I am here for it. I’m not going to give any more context other than the fact that he said he was about to release it for a year straight, which was one of the most frustrating but fun things I’ve experienced in a while.

If it helps at all, he’s also made a song for Spiderman: Across the Spider-Verse, and for Barbie. 

MONA LISA

This song, featured in the new Spiderman animated movie, begins with the coolest little guitar riff ever made, and Fike comes in with gorgeous vocals about a little crush and how he can’t stop thinking about them. 

And then he starts rapping. 

Now, I’m not really a rap person, to be honest. I always wonder what people like about driving with their windows down and playing a song that’s mostly just bass and someone talking really fast about how rich they are, but man, this rap. 

Structured as an almost dialogue between Fike and said girl, he talks about seeing her face in ‘the Parisian paintings’, how he’s ‘Over my heels and fallin’ on my head’, and my personal favorite, ‘They told you not to date musicians, /But can’t make you listen”. 

The thing is, this song’s not on the official ATSV soundtrack. Can you believe it? It’s on the deluxe version, but hey. Their loss.

ANT PILE

If I’m being honest here, this wouldn’t be the first song I’d show someone from the album. It is Dominic Fike-esque, but it’s a little quirky, one that you need to understand Fike’s style to appreciate. 

It basically follows Dominic Fike and this girl he liked all through their childhood, from 1st grade to high school. His alternative, soulful rock guitar keeps the song interesting, and the storyline is just incredible. 

Him and the girl’s first date ends in disaster because she was, “Allergic to [her] entree,”. And that’s all well and good, awkward first high school dates are pretty common in songs. But then he quite literally blurts out, “I said let me get a redo, anywhere you want to go and you can pick it/I can meet you”. 

I had to replay that a couple of times because it was so cute. 

While it sometimes sounds like he’s using staccato in his voice, that just adds to the whole edgy feel of the song. Also, watch the music video if you’re a film nerd, it’s got some pretty nice cinematography. 

PASTURE CHILD

I discovered this song way later on after the album was released. It was the kind of song that I needed to listen to but never did because I was scared it would be bad and I would waste time listening to it and not liking it instead of listening to Mona Lisa and Ant Pile. I eventually did, and my jaw dropped onto the AP Psychology classroom carpet. 

Again, unlike anything Dom’s sung in his previous albums, this song’s just…calm. I don’t even like slow songs. They bore me to death. But listening to this song wants to make me just close my eyes and be in my feels for the full 2 minutes and 55 seconds it lasts. 

It starts out with some signature alternative guitar, and then Fike quickly enters with some really emotional lyrics about a long-distance relationship he had a while ago with a quirky girl whose, “skirts went past her ankles”. 

His vocal riffs and vibratos mostly carry this vintage song, with a faint beat in the background and some consistent guitar chords building the foundation, this song is a showcase of Dominic’s vocal capabilities. 

SUNBURN

I’m not really sure why I put off reviewing the title song so much, but it definitely doesn’t deserve this. 

This song is a lot more personal than the rest, and for this album, that’s saying a lot. 

Here is where Fike talks about his dad not being present for him, his mom going to jail, and him and his siblings having to look out for one another at a school-going age. I think a lyric that sums this up pretty well is, “Who you call/ When you don’t got the money for school at all?/ Mama crying thinking about how we could lose it all”. 

But Fike also explores how his career changed things, when right after the lyrics above, he spits, “I would die before that happened / I’m picking the strap up before you picking my slack up, baby”. 

I really enjoy rapping that part. Especially since it’s the only rap I know from Fike. 

Regardless, his skill with producing, writing, and rapping are all highlighted in Sunburn, essentially a love letter to Florida and his childhood, as rocky as it was. In my opinion, it’s the perfect title song. 

SICK

I think the best way to describe this song is in the words of the British cousin I showed the song to. When the song ended, he grimaced and yelled, “This song is so high school!” 

I’ve got to admit, it is. But in the best way possible. 

There’s piano in this song. Piano. On a Dominic Fike song. Truly revolutionary and refreshing, in my opinion. It’s probably why it’s considered more basic than the rest, too. 

I’d say this would be something I’d consider a road-trip song. The folksy guitar and vocal layering give this otherwise-edgy song an upbeat and happy tune.

Now, that’s not to say that the lyrics are as saccharine as the production. In this song, Fike is essentially in his post-breakup era, and the message he tries to get across is that they can’t be friends because he’s still not over her yet. This, coupled with his fake disgust for her lends itself to a cheesy song that makes you honestly wonder how he didn’t throw up while writing it.

DARK

This song is intense but calm at the same time. Apparently, once his mom listened to this song, she called Fike and simply said, “Are you, like, okay?”

The song begins with Fike gently reminiscing about his past. The moments where he sings feels like he’s trying to stay as quiet as possible.

He beings his rap with “Remember when Alex had no front teeth?”, Alex being his younger brother. Then he launches into the most raw, regretful, exposing rap verse I’ve heard. I felt second-hand embarrassment by what he said, but that was soon replaced with deep respect for the way Fike just laid himself out there for everyone to see. And ends his rap the same way he started.

The other half of the song takes place in the form of a conversation with his mother. You can tell it’s so candid, because of the long, heavy pauses in between his mothers questions and his answers. The smile in their voices, the lilting guitar in the background, and everything about this song sets it apart from most ones on the album.

THINK FAST

Aside from the extremely long intro for this song, I’d say this song is much more mainstream than the others. It’s probably because he collaborated with Weezer and put out a really good music video for it as well. Critics claim that you can’t really tell Weezer’s in the song, but if you’re a fan, you can definitely hear the influence of The Sweater Song, a song by Weezer made a while ago.

My favorite part of this song is the chorus. If you don’t believe me, read this lyric, “Think fast, you only get one try/ Sleep tight, I wanna get sunshine/ Wake up, you know we got things to see”.

AW!

A lot of people believe this is one of Fike’s best songs, and sure, it’s good, but I do think he’s got more entertaining ones out there. Like…(this means you keep reading).

FRISKY

Frisky is one of Fike’s more silly songs on the new album. You can just tell he had fun making it.

Fike’s use of syncopated beats, aggressive acoustics and backing vocals make this song one that showcases Fike’s original producing skills. Many believe this album is overproduced and largely artificial, but I think putting our songs like Frisky, that are authentically him in their character but involve this kind of producing helps him establish himself in the pop and R&B music industry.

As for the lyrics, he’s basically inviting someone over for a fun party, and expresses playful frustration when it’s insinuated that they refuse.

I love the repetition Fike uses at the beginning of his stanzas, like “Toast your dilemma, baby,” or “Toast your December, baby”.

The best musical element of this song is the acoustic guitar. It rings so clear it almost acts as a percussion element within the song.

DANCING IN THE COURTHOUSE

This is usually the first song from the album I show people, explaining his backstory prior so they can better appreciate the incredible lyrics Fike has given us here.

Dancing in the Courthouse, as the name suggests, is a song of hope. He begs to “make the judge jump and hit the two-step”. I don’t even know what the two-step is, but it brings a smile to my face imagining a grim faced judge dancing.

Fike also sings, “We make the wind our wings by raising your arms/ At the top of the world”, which basically is saying to make the best out of the worst situations, and to grow stronger through those experiences. This hits even harder knowing what Fike’s been through, literally in the courthouse before, and it makes me appreciate this song even more seeing how he’s changed it into one of the happiest songs I’ve ever heard.

7 HOURS

One of the more upbeat songs on Sunburn, 7 Hours follows Fike talking about how he invests more into a relationship than his partner, and how he goes through a, “7 hour drive just to get beside you”.

I wish Fike’s voice was a bit more authentic in this song. It sounds as if he sung the whole thing normally, but then broke up parts of the song and hastily placed them back together. It lends itself to the whole pop feel of this song.

I do adore, however, the hymn-like chorus that supplements every stanza. As always, the guitar shines through all other aspect of the song. And it’s not that Fike didn’t sing well here. His vibratos, falsettos, and rap verses are unparalleled, and his songwriting skills are very highlighted when he sings touches lines such as, “Symbolize this relationship, memorize your face,”.

This is the kind of song you’ve got to hear to understand how good it is, but I tried my best to give it the justice it deserves.

HOW MUCH IS WEED?

Now, before you run crying to administration about how the Eagle Eye is promoting substance abuse, I’ll have you know that there is little no mention of the title in the actual song.

I saved best for last by delaying this song’s review. To put things into perspective, on his tour, Don’t Stare At the Sun, as soon as the guitar intro began for this song, the audience screamed. They started singing along with him, and seemed to only stop to scream again. Go check out his live performance, he did an incredible job.

This song is raw, angry, regretful, and yet it’s sentimental in it’s delivery. Fike responds to what seems like incorrect perceptions of him and his attitudes towards his past. He raps at incredible speeds, and at point launches into an incredibly emotional verse. Just part of it reads, “I did my best, I needed rest, I got arrested/ Everybody looking at me like I’m not invested,” and then he asks, “you know how hard I was stressing?”

Yeah, it’s intense.

If you haven’t stopped reading to go and listen to this new album, honestly, what are you doing? Go listen now! Actually, before you do, know that I didn’t review 4×4, Bodies, What Kinda Woman, or Mama’s Boy, simply because I didn’t like them. But, to be fair, four so-so songs on an entire album is pretty impressive, I’ve got to admit. If you think you’d like them, go crazy. If you don’t think you’ll like them, don’t take my word for it, go try them out!