On August 14, 2025, Dominic Fike made an Instagram post teasing his new mixtape with the caption, “Rocket is not an album.” This sent fans straight to Spotify, and one day later, they found three released songs on the mixtape. The first song, “All Hands on Deck,” was first performed on August 3rd at the music festival Lollapalooza, which was also the day that Fike brought his son, Rocket, onstage to debut the song. The other songs that were released on the early date include “Aftermath” and “Sandman.” The other nine songs were released later on August 22, 2025. Dominic Fike fans have loved the new vulnerability that Fike brought to this project, covering topics like fame, social media, substance abuse, and struggles with authenticity. HHS junior and Dominic Fike fan Megan Buckley loves the mixtape and shared, “It’s a little unconventional, but as are most of his songs. That unconventionality is what makes his music so unique and fun to listen to — just because his songs are so unlike most of the music nowadays.”

All Hands on Deck

This slow, gentle, and beautifully written song was a great choice to start the mixtape. It also includes some social criticism, a trend amongst Dominic Fike songs. Debuting with his son Rocket (previously unknown by the public) at Lollapalooza, the song touched the hearts of many as the crowd fell silent to not scare baby Rocket on stage. This song set a different tone from his previous and generally upbeat album Sunburn. 

Aftermath

This song that features the line “I’d like to dedicate this to myself,” is an ode to how Fike is authentically himself and how he doesn’t take life too seriously. A song about valuing yourself and the ones who love you most is fitting for the mixtape, but something newer to Dominic Fike’s discography. This short, catchy song will likely be in your head all day long, and it happens to be the favorite of HHS senior Emmy Oppedisano, who notes, “In particular, I feel like the guitar track is very satisfying.” 

Smile

One of my favorites on the mixtape, “Smile” is less upbeat than “Aftermath”, but has a strong and present guitar sequence in the background with amazing backup vocals from Fike himself. Again, this song carries the present theme of living life authentically and with no regrets. 

Sandman

“Sandman” is one of the most similar songs on this mixtape to his last album. It is upbeat, and has a strong, catchy beat throughout. Many fans have drawn parallels between this song and a song he wrote for The Barbie Movie “Hey Blondie.” 

Great Pretender

“Great Pretender” follows the theme of authenticity. In this song, Fike criticizes someone in his life for being a “great pretender.” This individual is speculated to be Fike’s ex-girlfriend and fellow Euphoria star Hunter Schafer. The couple broke up over a year ago, but the relationship and breakup were public, making it a large part of Fike’s life. “Great Pretender” is a great listen and encourages fans to put the phones down because the lack of authenticity in the media is harming relationships. Overall, this hit makes the top three on the mixtape for me and is #3 out of all of the songs. 

$500 Fine

“$500 Fine” was good, but not one of my favorite songs on this mixtape. I liked the messaging about making mistakes and working hard for the people you love, but it just felt a bit repetitive and similar to a lot of his other songs. I would have loved for him to step out of his comfort zone just a bit more in this song. 

One Glass 

“One Glass,” was one of Fike’s most teased unreleased songs, and for a good reason. The blending of guitar and slightly raspy singing leave listeners wanting more from this short 1:30 long song. Seeing a more vulnerable and lesser seen side of Fike was refreshing as he deals with self-medicating with substances in stressful and unclear relationships. 

Quite the Opposite

The blend of the bass, electric guitar, and drums on this track is “quite the opposite” of a boring song. Again, the layering of many different tracks of Fike’s voice makes the layering of the instruments and his voice seem seamless and really tie the song together. I also love how the end of the song cuts off entirely when it seems like Fike was about to sing another verse, which is very on-brand for him as most of his songs are very short in length. 

Upset and Aggressive

A fast-paced verse and a catchy, slightly slower chorus is textbook for a Dominic Fike song, and that’s exactly what he did with this piece. Although common for one of his songs, Fike executes this style so well it almost always means a top three song in one of his projects. For me, this is the second best song on the album. The messaging is also strong with struggles in vulnerability with a partner and an imbalance in effort in a relationship. Fike does a spectacular job at getting the serious message across without making the song gloomy or somber. 

David Lyons

David Lyons is my favorite song on this mixtape. The retro guitar, and slow, beautiful vocals make the song feel raw and less produced than most of the music out there. At the end of the song, the mood shifts and he begins to criticize how people (usually those who are chronically online) seem to have a mental health diagnosis for everything he does while he sings “what’s a gaslighter? I’m a human being, not a grill appliance,” which warrants a laugh and poses a good question for those who like to jump to the psychoanalysis of others. 

Epilogue

Fitting its title, “Epilogue,” is a slow way to wrap up the entire mixtape. I don’t love the beginning of the song as it feels drawn out and boring, but at the end of the song when the beat picks up, the song gets much better and it finishes as a solid Dominic Fike song. The end of the song talks about how Fike still moves forward, even when life feels impossible.

Still Feel It

I am so glad Dominic Fike didn’t end the mixtape with “Epilogue,” even though the title suggests otherwise. “Still Feel It,” feels authentic and the synth bass and guitar at the beginning give the song almost a rugged or country feel to the song. This song is a perfect way to end the mixtape, as it discusses the hardships of leaving a relationship and the duality of desire versus self control.

Overall, Dominic Fike’s mixtape “Rocket,” is one of his best, most profound pieces of music yet and I hope that he continues to make music that is meaningful, well-written, and just fun to listen to. I can’t wait to see what he comes out with next.