Why "Sunburn" is most definitely going to change the music industry

by Rebecca Pedersen

From being on house arrest, to ending up behind bars, and somehow always being on the wrong side of the law, Fike never gave up on himself. From a prison cell, where he was stripped from all music, he recalls how the sink made a peculiar sound that got stuck in his head. A sound he later called his producer to find the key of. This way he could work his way through different scales, all from inside the prison. I always say, if music has chosen you once in life, it will always find its way back to you.

Clear to say music is an inevitable part of who he is, and these bumps along the way, not only made him stronger, but made his music reach new levels.

A sunburn appears when you are in the sun for too long. It’s a repercussion of not taking yourself or your surroundings seriously. A sunburn is painful and damaging and stems from something as beautiful and healing as the sun. It’s a paradox. It’s only good in small doses, and once in a while we tend to forget when enough is enough. Greed. Excitement. Everything in between. To me, I see two meanings behind the title. Sunburn as a symbol for temptation, wrong choices and having to deal with what comes after. Yet, I see Sunburn as a symbol for Fike’s upbringing in the sunshine state, Naples, Florida. Long days out on the beach, sand in your eyes, hair and toes. Sunshine for days.

With a mother in and out of jail, and a local community that oftentimes encourages you to throw in the towel, it is not easy making it out on the other side. Yet, Sunburn is a symbol of making it out.

First song on the record “How Much Is Weed” is very telling for the beautiful, honest and heart wrenching journey we are about to endure. Buying his family’s home, making it to the Grammys, his mother going to jail and nobody around them helping. Drifting elegantly into “Antpile”, the second track on the record, which seems to be a good ol’ love story between two people growing up together. Seeing each other grow from first grade till 9th grade and loving every single version of them.

If it had been for the label, “Sick” had not made it onto the album, but Fike pushed for it. Another song about being in love with someone so much that they make you sick. Maybe you can’t have them, and maybe you convinced yourself you’re over them. I’m glad he pushed for it, because its change of tempo throughout the song makes it stand out from the rest of the tracks. Something extremely necessary on a record, where many of the songs sound strangely similar to each other.

The track “Sunburn” is about being raised in the sun in Southern Florida and wanting to return there when you die. Being born with the sun and quite literally dying with the sun. It’s truly an ode to Naples, the town that holds all his childhood secrets. “Pasture Child” is one of those secrets. Reminiscing about a girl he loved, who was always too good for him. Mentioning her in his songs, while checking whether she ever mentions him in her books, shows a love that never went away.

One of my all time favourite lines is on the track “Mama’s boy” that shows how he was always craving his mum’s attention growing up. In this specific line he "speaks" to a doll; “You’re made of plastic, I’m just blood. When I was born, you were produced. I wish I was a toy.” He is jealous of the plastic doll, as it cannot experience heartbreak like he can. Basically, he’s not a mama’s boy, but he wish he was.

This album is a breath of fresh air, and I could spend hours dissecting each lyric. “Sunburn” should already be saved in your music library, but if not, you know what to do.