Sunburn (2023)

Sunburn is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Dominic Fike, released through Sandy Boys and Columbia Records on July 7, 2023. The album was primarily produced by Jim-E Stack, Devin Workman, and Henry Kwapis.

Sunburn was preceded by four singles before its release: "Dancing in the Courthouse", "Ant Pile", "Mona Lisa", a track which was featured in the 2023 American superhero film Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and "Mama's Boy". It received positive reviews from critics and debuted at number 30 on the US Billboard 200 and number 56 on the UK Albums Chart. To support the album, Fike embarked on the Don't Stare at the Sun World Tour.

Background

A press release described the album as consisting exploration of songs having themes of "heartbreak, regret, addiction, sex, and jealousy." It emphasizes that it doesn't aim to present grand declarations from a superstar, but rather offers the raw and vulnerable revelations of a young artist who is still evolving and striving to make a strong impression. Fike called the album "very honest" and stated he "think the world is missing honesty". According to Jim-E Stack, the principal producer on the album, the goal was to "let the world know who Dom is".

In a July 2020 NME cover story, Fike revealed his plans on releasing a second album in 2020, stating that he was "making multiple songs a day for what won’t be another guitar-based record".

Release and promotion

The album's title was officially confirmed on May 12, 2023, with the official cover art being revealed on May 24, 2023.

"Dancing in the Courthouse" was released on April 14, 2023, as the lead single for the album, "Ant Pile", the second single for the album was released on May 26, 2023, "Mona Lisa" was the third single of the album, it was featured in the 2023 American superhero film Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, its fourth single "Mama's Boy" was released on June 23, 2023.

A concert tour in support of the album, the Don't Stare at the Sun Tour, was announced alongside the release of "Ant Pile". The tour consists of over 28 shows, beginning at TCU Amphitheatre in White River State, Indianapolis on July 13, 2023, and concluding at Iroquois Amphitheatre in Louisville on August 30, 2023. Fike also announced a second leg of the tour, taking place in the UK; the tour started in Glasgow on September 19, 2023, and saw Fike perform in Manchester, Birmingham, and London.

Critical reception

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Sunburn received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 76 out of 100 from four critic scores. The Line of Best Fit's Lana Williams described Sunburn as "endearing and introspective" as well as "a quick-stop tour of his history in his most personal project to date". Williams concluded that it is a "delightful entanglement of love, introspection, and nostalgia" and wrote that "Fike has demonstrated that he can succinctly slot into any category". Erica Campbell of NME called the album a "hypnotic memoir" and found that "it's not just the chaotic liberation of the Sunshine State the tracks revel in, it's the heartbreak, addiction and disarray that trailed behind his time there". Clash's James Mellen summarized Sunburn as "hazy, breezy, with many moments feeling like a homage to California, whether it be 2000s pop influence or West Coast pop-punk reference points. The record is also brief; ten tracks, each one the right length", and remarked that "there's no filler here".

Commercial performance

Sunburn debuted at number 30 on the US Billboard 200, including number 4 on the Top Rock & Alternative Albums chart. The album also debuted at number 28 on the Canadian Albums Chart.

The album debuted at number 56 on the UK Albums Chart, making it Fike's first entry in the country's album chart. It also debuted at 57 on the Scottish Albums chart.

The album debuted at number 25 in Australia on the ARIA Albums Chart.

Personnel

• Musicians
• Technical

Randy Merrill – mastering (1–6, 8–15)

Joe LaPorta – mastering (7)

Mark "Spike" Stent – mixing (1–6, 8–15)

Thomas Warren – mixing (7)

Jim-E Stack – engineering (1, 8, 9, 11)

Ariel Rechtshaid – engineering (1)

Devin Workman – engineering (2–4, 5, 9, 12, 13)

Julian Cruz – engineering (2, 14)

Dominic Fike – engineering (4, 11, 12, 14)

Jon Sher – engineering (5, 13)

Emi Trevena – engineering (6)

Brian Rajaratnam – engineering (6)

StarGate – engineering (7)

Ian Gold – engineering (8)

Sam Homaee – engineering (8, 13, 15)

Andrew Keller – engineering (10)

Matt Wolach – engineering assistance (1–6, 8–15)