Dominic Fike is riding high at the moment. After the belated success of ‘Babydoll’, which climbed to global Spotify No. 1 eight years after its original release, the American artist is poised to release his third album, titled ‘How To Quit Smoking’. The first preview follows the guitar-driven path of his latest hit, but with a clearly pop-oriented aim. ‘Wallflower’ is Song of the Day.
‘How To Quit Smoking’ would have been “written, performed and produced in real time on the road.” ‘Wallflower’ isn’t just the first teaser, but the opening track of the album, and you can sense the urgency that life on the road generates. It is packed with sharp guitars and Beatle-esque harmonies, yielding a fully pop song seen through a rock lens.
The title of the song, much like the film and novel ‘The Perks of Being A Wallflower’, appeals to those who are shy and introverted, and who in social settings will go to great lengths to avoid being the center of attention, staying away from the action because “the damn world is made of wire.”
In the track, crowded with melodic stimuli, Fike thinks that someone is also a “wallflower,” but he is mistaken: “I took you for someone who goes about in circles, a misfit, a coward and a chicken / Okay, come be my boss,” he sings in the chorus.
