Dominic Fike's Long-Awaited Debut Album 'What Could Possibly Go Wrong' Has Landed
In many ways, it's difficult to think of What Could Possibly Go Wrong as Dominic Fike's debut album. "3 Nights," the Florida artist's breakout single and ensuing radio hit, is a staple of the anti-pop canon. His Apple logo teardrop tattoo and varying shades of buzzed hair are unmistakable at first glance. Collaborations and close ties with the likes of Kenny Beats and the entire BROCKHAMPTON crew have solidified his place in music's next wave. Yet, none of this perfectly begins to explain the magnetic appeal of Fike's long-awaited debut.
Preceded by disparate singles "Chicken "Tenders" and "Politics & Violence," What Could Possibly Go Wrong is an unsurprisingly difficult to pin down affair. As a matter of fact, through its varied fourteen tracks, one gets the sense that Fike revels in seeing just how far he can push his innately infectious brand of alternative-fueled fringe pop.
"Come Here" kicks off the rapturous affair with a literal siren's call. Amorphous production and instrumentation that gives way at a moment's notice follows Fike's beckoning call to darker yet more exciting pastures. And where does this siren's call lead us? Straight into "Double Negative (Skeleton Milkshake)," a euphoric alternative anthem that would launch Fike into cult icon status regardless of generation.
It would be no hyperbole to say that the Florida artist, rapper, and purveyor regularly defies expectations with each and every one of What Could Possibly Go Wrong's thrilling twists and turns.
"Cancel Me" and its slacker soundscape grapples with the notion of cancel culture, burning out, keeping up appearances, and the cost of fame in between references to BROCKHAMPTON and Jimmy Kimmel. "10x Stronger" is a meticulously crafted interlude graced by a sweeping string section. "Vampire" somehow channels all the infectious joy of early '00s pop while still sounding uniquely fresh. "Florida" and its inherent mysticism and universal nostalgia rivals Frank Ocean's own. Every moment of What Could Possibly Go Wrong is somehow more intoxicating than the last.
What Could Possibly Go Wrong is an album that seemingly has something for everyone whilst never feeling pedestrian. Over the course of fourteen standout tracks, Fike never lingers on one idea for too long, allowing it the chance to grow stale; instead, he launches himself forward with a reckless abandon from one fully-realized departure to the next. It is a debut album that leaves you with an array of connecting threads that feel simultaneously familiar and novel, simultaneously belonging to any of us and only Fike.
Listen to What Could Possibly Go Wrong below:
