Dominic Fike has released a new song called "Pangea", and I really like how little this track seems to care about sounding huge.

It starts off extremely stripped back. We basically get Dominic's voice and an acoustic guitar, with this slightly grainy recording quality that makes everything feel very close. It almost sounds like somebody pressed record while he was sitting around playing the song rather than spending three weeks trying to make every tiny sound perfect.

Then the beat comes in.

That little shift is probably my favourite part of the track. Dominic moves from singing into a more rhythmic delivery, and suddenly the song opens up without losing the intimacy of the beginning. It is a really simple change, but it gives the track a lot of personality.

The whole thing reminds me slightly of that early-2000s combination of acoustic music, hip-hop and laid-back alternative rock. I have seen people mentioning Jack Johnson and Sublime when talking about this song, and I can definitely hear where that comparison comes from. There is a beachy quality to it, but Dominic's delivery keeps it from sounding like a complete throwback.

Lyrically, the song seems to focus on the beginning of a relationship. There is that mixture of excitement and uncertainty where everything still feels new and you are trying to work out exactly what the other person is thinking. I think the simple production suits that really well because there is nowhere for the song to hide.

"Pangea" is also very short, clocking in at just over two minutes. Normally I sometimes feel like songs are ending before they have properly started these days, but I actually think this one benefits from it. It says what it needs to say and then disappears.

Doing some research, the track will appear on Dominic's upcoming album *How To Quit Smoking*. It arrives at a funny time for him because his older song "Babydoll" has suddenly become a huge hit again years after it was originally released. I find that whole thing fascinating. You can release new music, tour, make videos, do everything right, and then the internet randomly decides that a song from 2018 is the one everybody needs to hear.

The video for "Pangea" was filmed from a seaplane over Vancouver, which honestly fits the track perfectly. There is something about the song that feels like movement and open air.

This is not a complicated piece of music, but that is exactly why I like it. The acoustic guitar sounds good, the beat arrives at the right moment and Dominic sounds completely comfortable. Easy to digest, slightly nostalgic and very replayable. I can see this one getting stuck on repeat without much effort.

Author: Peter Källman

Peter Källman is a writer from Sweden who loves playing in bands, writing reviews and going to live shows!