North Texas Daily

The album of the summer is finally here with Dominic Fike’s newest project, “Sunburn.” Released on July 7, Fike’s sounds elevate what regular listeners are already used to, showing his growth as an artist from when he first started and gained popularity back in 2018 for his hit song “3 Nights.”

Fans of Fike can also look towards the authenticity the singer brings to his music through this album, touching on themes of heartbreak, regret and the lows of being a superstar. Mix that and the 3-year-long anticipation of another Fike album, “Sunburn” is the ultimate summer album with the upbeat yet laidback beats paired with the vulnerability of being a complex human under a spotlight.

To those who aren’t familiar with the celebrity, 27-year-old Fike was born in Naples, Florida, a place he references a lot in his songs. His first EP, “Don’t Forget About Me, Demos,” was initially released on SoundCloud in 2018, and after gaining popularity, he signed with Columbia Records.

In 2020, he released his debut album, “What Could Possibly Go Wrong,” which garnered positive reception from both critics and fans alike. He’s done multiple collaborations with huge artists, such as Halsey, Justin Bieber and even Sir Paul McCartney. More recently, Fike’s had two of his songs featured on popular summer movie soundtracks: “Mona Lisa” for “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” and “Hey Blondie” for “Barbie.”

After Fike’s 2020 release, the artist went dormant and took a step back from the spotlight while working on music behind the scenes. His acting career took up his time as well. With his newfound stardom on “Euphoria,” his following grew massively, which made the anticipation around new music intensify.

“Sunburn” is a raw project with the goal to “let the world know who Dom is,” according to Jim-E Stack, the primary producer of the album. The album was also produced by Devin Workman, Henry Kwaipis and Fike himself. A press release described the album as a mixture of “heartbreak and regret, addiction, and jealousy” in a way that doesn’t romanticize the highs of being a celebrity.

Instead, it shows the more negative effects of stardom with “vulnerable revelations of a young artist still growing and putting their best foot forward.” Fike himself has called the album “very honest” and said he thinks “the world is missing honesty.” Tying everything together, Fike still stays true to who he is, which makes his work stay authentic despite his growing popularity and fame.

The way the singer stays candid about his life, experiences and emotions through his songs is through the lyricism. For example, in the first song off the album, “How Much Is Weed?,” he touches on his mother’s absence in his life due to being in and out of jail, as well as how he was in jail himself. For old fans, this isn’t new. He’s always been candid about this part of his life all throughout his career in both his songs and in interviews, and it reminds people that no matter the level of fame, he is a person as well.

This grounds listeners in reality more firmly when compared to other celebrities, which sets him apart from the sea of musicians. Another notable example of Fike’s candidness is with his collaboration with Weezer, “Think Fast.” In the only collaboration of the album, Fike mentions how “this place was bad for [him].” It’s inferred that he’s referencing his home in Naples due to the instability of his home life when he and his brother were younger.

However, in the title track, he sings a love letter to Florida, knowing that he will always love and appreciate his home until the day he dies, despite all that he had to go through. While he holds a special place for his childhood and his home, he doesn’t romanticize it and sees it for what it is, which is a way Fike claims his authenticity as a singer.

“Sunburn” expands on what we already know about Fike as an artist and as a person, and so far, it’s gathered an extremely positive reaction among listeners. He is currently on tour in the United States, and he’s also going on tour abroad for the first time, a milestone for the rising superstar.

Reya’s rating: 5/5

Featured Illustration by Allie Garza