New Music: What Could Possibly Go Wrong by Dominic Fike

By Dylan Shulman

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A rapper turned alternative rocker, Dominic Fike's debut album is here. There's little rap here, but he's clearly devoted to alternative and if anything he diverts into pop. Most songs are clearly alternative but some have hip-hop influences under the surface, although the two genres trade ideas constantly anyway. He may have even taken some cues from Kevin Abstract and BROCKHAMPTON after their interview in 2019. Fike discusses his fame and money (he signed a $4 million contract), family struggles, love, and dinner options. It's a very fun album with catchy hooks and guitar-driven instrumentals. This project is very consistent, if average, and there are few complete misses. The first two tracks are likely my favorite, alongside "Vampire" and "Wurli." I'm not a fan of "Cancel Me," "What's For Dinner?" and "Superstar Sh*t," but they're still listenable.

Lyrically, he seems to be on the cusp of reaching that next level of clear storytelling and clever cadences. You can understand the meaning of most songs and they stay on topic, but they can be convoluted. The production on the project is very good, with Fike adding his guitar chops to digitally created instrumentals. He also employs various voice effects much like Kevin Abstract, to varying degrees of success. He fails in some places like "Cancel Me" which hides a certain pretentiousness and poor taste. Otherwise, even some of the more poppy tunes I enjoy. "Joe Blazey" and "Florida" hold a two part structure and both the second parts are better. "Vampire" is fantastic all around, and I think is the highlight of the album besides the killer, quick alt-rock hits that start it off. I think this is a great debut album for someone who's just getting his feet under him in a new genre, and this album is one with few skips.

High replay value, high enjoyment, but far from greatness. Dominic Fike shows up and I can't wait to see how he continues to grow as an artist.

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Rating:

6/10