Album Review: A Few Things Go Wrong on Dominic Fike’s Debut Album
Dominic Fike’s debut album What Could Possibly Go Wrong shows a number of character flaws.
Written by Thomas Galindo
Photo courtesy of Getty Images
Content warning: This story contains discussions of sexual assault and abuse.
On April 4, 2019, Brockhampton’s YouTube page posted a video titled, “This is Dominic Fike.” This introduction for the indie-rap audience Brockhampton captivated at that time included a short mock interview with Fike accompanied by the artist’s “3 Nights” music video from his 2018 EP Don’t Forget About Me, Demos. This shoutout and co-sign from the Brockhamton boys, along with a few features on Kevin Abstract’s 2019 solo album ARIZONA BABY, helped bolster Fike into the mainstream before even releasing a commercial album.
Songs like “Babydoll” and the aforementioned “3 Nights” show Fike using a soft rock influence to display his moody voice and cute choruses which make for a pleasurable listening experience on the EP. The Florida native also produces show-stopping, somber hooks on tracks “Crumble” and “Peach” on Abstract’s album. He would go on to receive more co-signs and features from more prominent artists as heard on 2019 single “Phone Numbers” with Kenny Beats (complete with a Halsey cameo in the music video), and the irresistible “Hit Me Up” featuring Omar Apollo and Kenny Beats. However, minus a legit album, Dominic Fike was simply the eccentric, Party City wig-wearing guy all of our favorite artists had told us was great — we just hadn’t met him yet.
Prior to the album’s release, Fike released the singles “Chicken Tenders” and “Politics & Violence,” both adding to the steady foot forward he was putting ahead of this anticipated first album. “Chicken Tenders” is a three minute burst of serotonin flittered with an unorthodox pause in the chorus and an insanely catchy bridge literally about sex and chicken tenders. “Politics & Violence” shows a more versatile side to Fike, where the first half of the track sees him latch on to a groovy melody in the chorus, followed by his equally enjoyable dynamic rapping post-beat switch. Much like in “Hit Me Up,” he raps in an effortless manner at an impressively fast pace in the song’s second half.
Photo courtesy of Columbia Records
His collaborations were great, his singles were great, there was no reason not to believe the album wouldn’t be great. But the 34 minute, 14 song album just did not meet the standard Fike had set for himself coming into the record. What Could Possibly Go Wrong starts off with the head-scratcher that is “Come Here.” Weighing in at a little over a minute long, the raw punk song sees Fike straining his voice in what sounds like more of a rough cut than an intro. The next song, “Double Negative (Skeleton Milkshake),” thankfully pivots from this trainwreck as a short, catchy bop that wastes no time in letting Dominic display his skill for crafting upbeat, creative hooks. And while some of these hooks or entire tracks don’t have any underlying theme or deeper context whatsoever (see aforementioned “Chicken Tenders”), nobody is really listening to Dominic Fike for that anyway. The issue with the album isn’t that songs like “Chicken Tenders,” “Vampire,” “Wurli,” and “Why” have no intricate, deliberate message to deliver. Lack of depth aside, they are catchy, quality tracks that play to Fike’s strengths. Where the album truly fails is in its consistency, or rather lack thereof. Half the time there’s great, mindless tracks reminiscent of a trip to the mall at Pacsun or Urban Outfitters; the other half is Fike trying to either overstep his reach or put no effort in whatsoever.
Songs like “Florida” and “Good Game” see Fike essentially sleepwalking his way through the song, providing very little structure and vocal effort. Don’t buy it? The literal chorus of “Good Game” is “doo doo doo doo doo.” He could be trying to redefine what it means to be a “sleeper hit” on songs like these, but it comes across as indifference. “Cancel Me” isn’t musically the worst song on the album, because its catchy hook and flow on the verses sound solid — but one cringy bar ruins its light-hearted vibe. In the second verse he spits, “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, hope I get Me Too’d.” Playing on the highly debated topic of cancel culture, he was onto something at first. It is a somewhat admirable (and uncommon) sentiment amongst celebrities to feel too famous for their own good, wishing for an exit from the superstar lifestyle in exchange for family time. Even so, does he not comprehend that the #MeToo movement was about sexual assault survivors? Even in jest, the bar feels completely out of touch and ignorant; this tacky line invalidates an entire movement in its likening to “cancelling” people. What Fike fails to understand is the gravity of his claim: getting some shut-eye is worth being labeled an abuser.
What Could Possibly Go Wrong has its moments of Dominic Fike honing in his sound while delivering catchy, indie pop tracks that compliment his vocal range. But, the uneven ratio of those moments to those that miss the mark through genre-crossovers, tasteless antics, or lack of effort leaves much to be desired on this record. Fike’s trajectory after this release may plateau or dip until his next project because, while this isn’t a major disappointment, it’s nowhere near career elevating. After this formal introduction to Dominic Fike in What Could Possibly Go Wrong, it begs the question as to why Brockhampton and friends are so fond of him. Possibly alluded to in the LP’s title, we’re willing to bet Fike is well aware of his subpar delivery in an underwhelming debut.