"Sunburn" (2023): A Review

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The album of the summer is finally here with Dominic Fike’s newest project: “Sunburn”. Released on July 7th of this year, Fike’s sounds in this album 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 three-year-long anticipation of another album from him, Dominic Fike’s “Sunburn” is the ultimate summer album with the upbeat, yet laidback beats paired with the vulnerability of being a complex human under a spotlight. 

Who exactly is Dominic Fike? To those who are not familiar with the celebrity, the 27-year-old was born in Naples, Florida: a place he references a lot in his songs regarding his upbringing. 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 has 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” (which is also on “Sunburn”) for “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” and “Hey Blondie” for the “Barbie” movie. Separate from his music career, his first main acting role was as Elliot on the popular A24 show “Euphoria” in its second season 

As mentioned before, his first album was released in 2020. However, after its release, Fike went dormant, taking a step back from the spotlight while still working on music behind the scenes. Other than his collaborations with other artists, he didn’t release any other new music, though he reassured fans that another album was in the making. His acting career took up his time as well, and with his newfound stardom on “Euphoria”, his following grew massively, which made the anticipation around new music intensify. However, starting in April, the singer started teasing his fans with new music. After performing for the first time at Coachella early that month, he released his song “Dancing in the Courthouse”, followed by “Ant Pile” at the end of May. With the release of the newest Spider-Man movie in June, his song “Mona Lisa” also dropped, and finally, “Mama’s Boy” was the last song from the album that was released as a single two weeks before the full album released. 

“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 does not 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, Dominic Fike still stays true to who he is to himself and his fans, 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 and how he was in jail as well. For old fans, this is not new. He has 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 more firmly when compared to other celebrities, which sets him apart from the sea of musicians. Another notable example of Dominic 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]”, and it is inferred that he is 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 does not 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 Dominic Fike as an artist and as a person, and so far, it is gathered an extremely positive reaction among listeners.