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The Eastern Echo

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Review: Dominic Fike shows he truly is the king of everything with debut album 'What Could Possibly Go Wrong?'

With perfect vibes for the summertime, this mixed-genre project is sure to put you in a good mood.

It’s been close to two years since Dominic Fike released his first project under Columbia records, and now this amazing artist has just dropped his debut album. It’s undoubtedly, some “Superstar Sh*t.” 

The LP, titled What Could Possibly Go Wrong, is 14 tracks discussing an array of topics from various forms of love to the musicians personal struggles in the industry. Fike is super talented when it comes to mixing genres in order to end up with his own unique sounds and style. In this album, he displays elements of punk rock, hip-hop, rap, indie pop, and more.  

On June 22, Fike took to social media to announce a track named “Chicken Tenders,” which came out on June 25, with a paired music video. Regardless of the song basically being about a picky eater and how his back is itchy, the release really showed that anything Fike does is beautiful and worth listening to. 

At the same time as the album’s release, Fike put out another video for “Cancel Me,” a song stating the artist’s discontent with the celebrity scene. “I hope they banish me, I miss my family tree / I was a family man and now I’m just a man to see / If you can’t pay your rent or be responsible financially / They need you, I hope I get Me Too’d.” 

Fike is wishing the world would “cancel” him so he can be back with his family and not have to worry about people’s expectations of or for him. The video was also shot with the help of his little sister Apollonia, fitting perfectly with the song’s theme. 

It’s not just Fike’s sounds that’s unique, it’s his lyrics too. Even when he talks about typical things, he does so in a more interesting way than most. 

On the track “Vampire,” Fike tells an acquaintance that everyone at the party they’re attending are vampires, which I personally believe could be a metaphor for the LA party scene he discussed in “Cancel Me.” 

The spooky and fun vibes of tracks like this and “Why” have contrasting feelings compared to some of my other favorite, but more emotional tracks such as “Wurli,” and “Good Game.” 

“It’s impossible to say what you’re gonna be / But if you’re gonna become someone / Don’t you become your daddy / Boy, you show so much promise / It’s okay to be unhappy with all this.” 

This track seems to be from his father’s perspective, where he questions how Fike is doing now that he’s famous and if he still remembers him. “Don’t be like your father,” is probably something he has heard from multiple people. 

The raw emotion in the words of every track makes this album “10x Stronger” and helps listeners relate to and feel his feelings. The major downside of the LP is that it runs at only 34 minutes long, which is definitely too short, leaving fans still anticipating more new music as soon as possible, myself included. 

If you have yet to check out this underrated singer/songwriter, now is the time to take in every beautifully done song, as there is something for everyone within Fike’s various releases, showing he truly is the “King of Everything.”  

I would give this album 4 out of 5 Swoops.