In anticipation of summer’s arrival, I thought I’d rewind the clock as much as I can to recapture the feelings I had leading up to summer 2024 by listening to one of my favorite summer projects, “14 minutes” by Dominic Fike. Leading up to the project’s full release to streaming platforms on May, 3, 2024, Fike surprised fans by releasing a 14 minute “music video” to YouTube and his website on April 23, 2024.
Despite the project’s matching runtime to its title, Fike packs a vibe-filled punch within each track that is capable of entertaining even those with the shortest of attention spans.
My Five Favorite Songs (in no particular order):
- “misses”
- “coast2coast”
- “hi grace”
- “1.23.23”
- “megaman”
Dominic Fike’s “14 minutes” is such an experimentally personal and raw project that transports listeners into the world of one of Fike’s studio sessions. With eight tracks, the extended project (EP) touches on everything from love and heartbreak to self-discovery and identity. Fike mixes a variety of different sounds, vocal inflections, and instrumentation that kept me interested throughout each listen. Additionally, Fike’s lyrics feel incredibly genuine and honest, and his vocals bring another layer of emotion to his songs, especially on “megaman,” “hi grace” and “bowie box.” This EP demonstrates Fike’s ability to create engaging and captivating tracks whilst experimenting with his sounds. Although it is far from a perfect project, there’s no doubt that “14 minutes” is a memorable ride of an album.
