The first single off of Dominic Fike’s debut LP has arrived, and the Julian Cruz-produced alt pop track “Chicken Tenders” comes packaged with a trippy music video.
Dominic Fike met Cruz back in 2018. Back then, Cruz was asked to mix his EP with Columbia, Don’t Forget About Me, Demos. They went on to collaborate on “Acai Bowl,” and “Rollerblades” among others. Now, he, Phil NDL, and a team of some more musicians and friends worked on Dominic Fike’s album, including this inaugural impression.
Julian Cruz told EARMILK via email, “‘Chicken Tenders’ was started in Breckenridge, Colorado over a year ago. Dom wanted to get away and go up into the mountains to start his album, and he rented a cabin for his team to work out of for a few months. It was he and his close friends and collaborators making music in the snow.”
The Florida singer has teased this record at a few shows last year, and made this the first release for his upcoming debut album. The song was intended to actually drop on the 5th of June however, he decided to delay it due to the global attention on systemic and individual racism. He shared on social media, “Last week, I was supposed to put out the first song from my debut album. Instead something much more important happened.” In an Instagram story back in January, the artist revealed a tracklist as well, where “Chicken Fingers” tentatively sits at track 2. From the start, we’re met with some antipop, spacy sounds. Twenty-three seconds into the song, after the pitched-up first hook ends, the edge is ripped away as the drums and a few other sounds are introduced and shifts the vibe. The drums were played by Sam of The Roomates. According the Julian Cruz, Jon and Sam of The Roommates were also working with the team and somehow brought in the late Prince’s iconic LinnDrum machine. “Honestly we couldn’t not use it.”
After they finished “Chicken Tenders” it kind of sat idle for a while. Cruz said that when they started to really get wrapped up the album in LA, they felt that the song was too special for it to just sit. The music video, directed by Jack Begert, is a colorful depiction of Dom’s escapade around hotel room beds. He wakes out of bed, barely gets dressed, and seems to be afraid to find himself back in those hotel room sheets. The music video in entirety seems almost like a vision, or an odd dream where he’s unable to escape this Twin Peaks-themed bedroom.
“‘Chicken Fingers’ was the obvious choice to have some of those sounds reinforced with a piece of analogue nostalgia.” Dom sings about ordering some tenders and “making love”. A true blurb on a little Netflix, chicken, and chill.
View this post on Instagramno chickens were harmed in the making of this video… CHICKEN TENDERS OUT NOW 🐥 link in biooo
This is Dominic Fike’s first drop since June of last year when linking with Kenny Beats on “Hit Me Up” with Omar Apollo and “Phone Numbers”. Dom was also recently interviewed by peer and artist, Kevin Abstract of Brockhampton. They discussed his anxious feelings going into his big release. Fike’s debut is expected to release later this year.
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