Singer songwriter Dominic Fike’s HOW TO QUIT SMOKING sounds like the soundtrack to a coming-of-age movie when the protagonists fall in love. Its mellow indie-pop melodies and loose alt-rock edges result in an especially enjoyable record on the edge of greatness, even when a couple of choices pull it off course.
The album’s opening track, “WALLFLOWER,” establishes an easygoing mood with bright rhythm and a sense of yearning with lyrics, “If I could fly off the floor / Would you let me? / If I could die and come forth / Would you let me?” The questions give the breezy track a vulnerable undercurrent. Its buoyant guitar work makes the uncertainty feel more like a passing thought than a crisis.
The album’s mix of lightness and uncertainty carries into “HONEYLOVE,” Fike turning his attraction into something more consuming and extreme. The lyrics “I want you to be my skeleton / I want you to eat my DNA” create strange imagery that fit the album’s portrayal of love as both exhilarating and overwhelming.
On “CABBY,” the singer trades the rush of new romance from a more regretful look at family and the habits keeping him at a distance, singing, “I spend more time in my automobile than I do with my mom / I’m not sanctified / I’m not Jesus Christ / But if this wine was water, I’d feel fit to drive.” Acting as one of the album’s clearest moments of self-awareness, the lyrics ground its dreamy atmosphere in the messier parts of growing up.
“NOT THE SPIRIT” brings a sharp hip-hop edge, with rapper Danny Brown adding a welcome change in texture. Fike’s line, “If I, I had, a dime for every time that we went broke / Would I even break even? / Maybe, but every time that we went broke,” turns financial instability into a circular joke never quite landing on a punchline. The entirety of the second half of the album goes for a more broken down approach with pockets of chaotic energy in an attempt to keep the record lively without making it feel disconnected from Fike’s established sound.
The album’s few missteps are difficult to ignore. Rapper Jorjiana’s feature on “CITY OF STEEL” feels out of place, disrupting the record’s cohesive flow with an exaggerated auto-tune that frankly does not sound good on the instrumental. The decision to include Tay-K on closer “SPOTLIGHT / INNER CHILD” is even more distracting. Although the conversation reinforces the album’s themes of addiction, childhood and resilience, the addition of someone currently serving a 55-year prison sentence creates a feeling of regret more than hope.
Still, HOW TO QUIT SMOKING captures a particular kind of youthful optimism: imperfect, romantic and best enjoyed carefree. The record fits naturally into Fike’s catalog while giving his mellow sound room to breathe. The album does not quite stick the landing, but most of the ride is worth taking.
4 smoke breaks out of 5
