Dominic Fike’s “Rocket” Blasts Genre Boundaries
Written by Joshua Parrish | August 22nd, 2025
Listen to Rocket on Spotify HERE!
I have never listened to Dominic Fike. I don’t believe I have even read that many album reviews. So this piece took a little bit of research on my part. That is, I texted both of my sisters and my girlfriend to ask if they know who this guy is. My girlfriend told me the same thing that she tells me any time I bring up something pop culture related, that I am chronically offline. Additionally, I made the point to really lean into the experience of listening to this Mixtape. For any album that drops at midnight, there is really only one way to do it. I got out of bed, got fully dressed, grabbed my car keys and went for a ride. Normally I would hit the road, crank up the volume, roll down the window and light up a cig. I quit smoking about six months ago but my driver’s side window is on the fritz (and by on the fritz I mean sitting in the backseat) so the effect is about the same. Cruising the late night East Nashville streets with the wind in my face I jumped right into it. No palette cleanser, no warm up songs, just straight into Dominic Fike’s new mixtape Rocket.
And it jumped right off, “All Hands On Deck”, with Fike’s distinct casual croon over a soft organ and driving bass line leading straight into a few bars of rap before fading back out. This opener feeds perfectly into the upbeat late summer song that is Aftermath. Two songs in and we already see Fike’s flexibility on full display. And he makes quick work of it, not even 2 minutes long to craft an instant classic before once again switching it up and leaping right into another upbeat song to make you “Smile.” At this point it becomes obvious that this is a mixtape, that the collection of songs is just that and not a distinct thought out project. The point comes across well and that in itself is admirable, Rocket is a mixtape that gives credence to mixtapes. Chance the Rapper would be proud, not only of the driving beats and rap lyrics interspersed over ringing guitars but the fact that Fike still gives a fuck about a mixtape.
Halfway through the mixtape, Chance the Rapper comparison makes itself almost too easy, with the attitude present in Fike’s voice and the lyrics about pills, alcohol and sex. “The Great Pretender” hits just right and I feel like I’m 22 again, like I should be pulling up to my buddy’s house to roll up a joint and smoke out the old broken down van in the driveway. Not even a cigarette to light up. I pull back onto Gallatin Pike and see Metro Police cruising around looking for folks to harass just as “$500 Fine” comes on full blast. By the time I have passed them and swung a right past Skinny Dennis it’s already over and we’re onto the next, this one not even a minute and a half, it’s already the past. Did I queue up Pixies “Where is my Mind?” Nope, just more Dominic Fike, this time starting off with some heavy guitar tones that quickly become casual acoustic chords. This one is almost too relatable then the guitar comes back in and I am even further sold on Fike’s flexibility. “One Glass” belongs on Melophobia, right next to “Cigarette Daydream.”
This fact stays the same with slight variation on the delivery on “Quite the Opposite.” This song delivers, right up until it does not and is cut off too early, making me wonder if my phone died but no maybe just a mistake in the mixing? No matter, we are still going and it is just now 12:30 but already over halfway through and we are finally getting “Upset & Aggressive.” The point kinda fails, I am not convinced that Fike can be aggressive but I can see that he is trying. His flow is consistent across the entire mixtape, no particular versatility there. It is over and over bars straight into the hook then back to some instrumentals before once again, hook to flow to fade out. Every song draws me in and convinces me that I made the right decision to crawl out of my cozy bed next to my girlfriend to blast these tracks to the sleepy streets of East Nashville. I don’t know who “David Lyons” is, did he write for John Mayer? This one is beautiful and soft and I’ll be damned if he does not lead me back in with some Chance the Rapper esque bars and once again straight back out with a feel good chorus and some bold, slightly punchy guitar.
Now I am getting it and am seeing a bit of cohesiveness to this mixtape. I imagine that most of these songs came from a time in his life where he was searching for some answers, probably after a recent breakup. He has crafted songs that tell me he is in his early twenties and has lost a lover to poor decisions, whether the lyrics say it or not. “Epilogue” is a love and loss song, it is touching and caring and respectful to himself and to the relationship that has passed and it is just long enough to get the point across. He does not cut himself short on this one, he takes his time to really flesh it out and build some depth through the music and lyrics. Then he really hammers it home with the short and sweet “Still Feel It.” And, well shit, I’m pulling out onto Dickerson Pike and here we are at the end of this mixtape. Once again, he has done an excellent job of drawing me in then just dropping me off somewhere deep in East Nashville to wonder what is next and where that song just went.
As a whole, Rocket is a true mixtape. It speaks volumes about Fike as an artist and songwriter. This collection truly exemplifies his ability to craft songs that should be played loud in the car with the windows down and songs that should be played while rotting in bed and looking at your ex’s instagram. There is cohesion to this mixtape, not in the way an album holds together but as a period piece, expertly documenting and expressing a relatable array of emotions. As someone who has never listened to Fike, it is an excellent introduction. It offers a taste of his talent from the upbeat bangers at the top to the comfortable and emotion driven fade out at the bottom. Rocket objectively should be a monster hit in a world where our attention spans are short and our brains are craving a fresh hit of dopamine. Only one song is over three minutes and the entire mixtape is under thirty. Rocket is truly a mixtape and even me, chronically offline, can recognize that it fits seamlessly into the canon of 2025.