Dominic Fike’s ‘How to Quit Smoking’: All 15 Tracks Ranked

Turning 30 years old is one of life’s daunting checkpoints. Your once tight-knit crew now has everyone at various stages of life, whether that be socially or financially, chasing different goals and priorities. Some are 30, living the fast life of a 22-year-old, while others are 30, but married in the suburbs with three children.

Dominic Fike has been 30 for all of 2026 (he turns 31 on Dec. 30) — along with being a father to his 2-year-old son Rocket — and that anxiety is poured into his third studio album, How to Quit Smoking, which arrived on Friday (Oct. 30).

The title serves as a blanket statement for the album, but his smoking habit is only really addressed directly on “DOOMSDAY.” He opens up about the habit on the project’s poignant closer with Tay-K, but reveals it’s the last habit he’s trying to kick, while keeping other vices in life because everyone’s gotta have something to take the edge off.

In behind-the-scenes footage and social media clips, it appears he’s made the transition to the popular smokeless Zyn nicotine pouches to put the cigs down.

Recorded on the road during his Comedy Parody Tragedy Tour throughout the year, Fike billed the project as a “living album” — a concept seemingly started by Ye (formerly Kanye West) in the streaming era with 2016’s The Life of Pablo.

Fike put forth one of the most unique rollouts of 2026, taking fans into his creative process through his website, which has been running non-stop content featuring performances, studio sessions, fan interactions and music video ideas 24/7 since he’s been on the road.

The Florida native has taken a non-traditional route to a mainstream boom. His blend of rock, alt-pop and hip-hop has been buzzy ear candy for TikTok users, which lit the fuse for his 2018 demo “Babydoll” — no, not Jamie Miller’s — to go viral, and continued its surge this month to become his first top 10 Billboard Hot 100 entry last week, nearly a decade after its release.

It definitely didn’t hurt that he starred as Elliot in season 2 of HBO Gen-Z favorite Euphoria, which put his face in front of millions more who could now pick him out of a lineup, when they may not have been able to before.

Clocking in at a digestible 40 minutes, Fike called on friends ranging from Danny Brown to the incarcerated Tay-K to complete his vision. Here are all 15 tracks of How to Quit Smoking ranked below.

• “CASTING CALL”

  “CASTING CALL” is a palate cleanser on the album that ends up getting lost in the shuffle in the grand scheme of things. A rare implementation of drums is a welcome addition as Fike messes around with a mix of his R&B and hip-hop sensibilities.

• “HONEYLOVE” (feat. Grace Ives)

  Alt-pop singer-songwriter Grace Ives steals the show on “HONEYLOVE.” Her sweet vocals wash over the track, fondly sketching out a honeymoon phase of a relationship that she wants to bottle up. Fike shrewdly gets sexual with his romantic side, but keeps things (mostly) PG-13. “I want you to be my skeleton/ I want you to eat my DNA,” he sings on the chorus.

• “LILY WAS A CAVALIER”

  14 Minutes-era Dom Fike has returned, but it’s a brief stay. Production-wise, there are haunting elements, while Fike pushes the pace and attempts to reconnect with his inner child. A proclamation to “eat the rish” and a reference to an aristocracy caught me off guard. “LILY WAS A CAVALIER” lands somewhere toward the back of the pack.

• “CABBY” (feat. Emma Ogier & Love Spells)

  Love Spells’ airy vocals over melancholic strings are what I’ll remember most about “CABBY.” Fike takes a backseat to let his guests do the heavy lifting, as Emma Ogier makes another cameo. DF messing with the pitch of his vocals does give the track a fresh coat of paint and doesn’t allow any point of the album to really drag all that much.

• “NOT THE SPIRIT” (feat. Danny Brown)

  Thumping drums pace “NOT THE SPIRIT” with Fike back in his rapping bag. On its face, a Dom Fike and Danny Brown collaboration doesn’t make sense, although they mesh better than one would think. Fike is glad to get back in control of his story as an artist, while he took the road less traveled to make it happen. I was hoping we’d get the frantic Atrocity Exhibition Danny Brown, but a mellower DB is still cooler than just about 45-year-old rhymer out there.

• “RENO” (feat. Hether)

  Some of the sequencing earlier in the album is a bit choppy, but Dominic Fike reaches a flow state going from “SQUEEZE” to “RENO” into “LILY WAS A CAVALIER.” Hether steps in to provide a woozy chorus as the California-based artist delivers a jam session. There’s DNA of Fike’s What Could Possibly Go Wrong debut, but he’s operating on another level now.

• “PANGEA”

  Picking up a guitar was the smartest move Fike ever made. It’s made him a chameleon who can’t really be boxed in artistically. He goes from breezy guitar riffs reminiscent of something Jack Johnson would jam to, which funnels into pure rapping while finding a pocket the late Mac Miller thrives in.

• “CITY OF STEEL” (Feat. Jorjianna)

  “CITY OF STEEL” provides another standout moment on Smoking. Fike’s pen worked overtime during his Pittsburgh stay, as he cooked up another addictive hook. Jorjianna had plenty of momentum last year, and is an interesting choice to guest here, but she makes it work to an extent. The Indiana rapper hilariously apologizes mid-verse to her mother for cursing on the soothing track.

• “SPOTLIGHT / INNER CHILD” (feat. Tay-K)

  How to Quit Smoking culminates with a recorded conversation and voice message with Tay-K from behind bars. Fike humanizes the Texas rapper, who’s serving an 80-year sentence on murder charges. Tay-K’s manifesto hits on not losing his inner child, and that’s a sentiment every creative should never forget, accompanied by an uplifting guitar instrumental reminiscent of Filter’s turn-of-the-century hit “Take a Picture.”

  Tay takes time to spotlight his mother, who persevered through abuse and drugs to maintain a glow that could light up any room. That made me think of my grandma, who came over from Italy as an immigrant and suffered tragedies like having to bury her son. Still, she’s remained selfless and anti-materialistic into her 90s, making sure there’s a smile on everyone’s face around her, no matter the losses she’s suffered.

• “SMALL TOWN” (feat. Gabriel Jacoby & Emma Ogier)

  The electric guitar intro calls back to something that could’ve landed on Justin Bieber’s SWAG. “What goes up must go left, at least one time. So don’t have no regrets” is a great life motto, essentially saying, take that risk; it might be worth it. Fike’s penchant for infectious hooks ties the strongest songs on HTQS together. He recruits Emma Ogier to assist in that department here. Fike’s improved by leaps and bounds in that department to become his calling card.

  Ruminating on a romantic interest, Fike uses a girl’s tattoos as a callback to an older version of her that he once knew, but he’s disappointed that she no longer exists. Singer-songwriter Gabriel Jacoby’s groany outro would make Anderson .Paak smirk.

• “WHITE KEYS”

  “WHITE KEYS” proved in part to be the catalyst for Fike’s meteoric rise. Initially previewed in an IG Story in 2020, it found a home over five years later. Produced by fellow Florida native and “SAD!” producer John Cunningham, Fike reflects on his Naples roots and a girl who played him for a fool. It’s the relatability that continues to endear him to his rabid cult following. The pop scene’s shifted to where fans prefer to see stars that are closer to being just like them rather than perfection. Just take a look at fans’ reactions to finding out an artist is a nepo-baby or a trust fund kid; it’s not pretty. “WHITE KEYS” broke barriers for Fike’s cult to be parlayed into commercial viability, peaking inside the Billboard Hot 100‘s top 40 (No. 32) in April.

• “WALLFLOWER”

  A cinematic intro to the album leads into more of Fike’s garage rock style. “WALLFLOWER” finds Fike going tit-for-tat with an introverted lover, but if she’s willing to meet him halfway, he’s all in on their future. A catchy refrain dominates the track, which has made for an easy sing-along at his shows. Is this an evolved version of DF’s “7 Wonders” demo grail?

• “DOOMSDAY”

  Fike’s pitched-up vocals play well on the chorus, making it only that more potent. He takes the baton, calling on a lover, but can’t resist hitting the bottle no matter what day it is. That’s his vice of choice to numb the pain. The drums subside, letting the beat breathe for Reggie’s guest appearance, who takes a spoken-word approach. His poetry touches on how he’s a victim of being attached to doomscrolling on his phone and can’t find a way out to truly disconnect because “tomorrow is just today in a suit.”

• “WAR MACHINE”

  Brockhampton’s Kevin Abstract championed “War Machine” as the song of the year, and while I’d agree it’s one of the strongest on the album, I’m gonna need more time before anointing it atop the 2026 year-end pantheon. Fike’s interpolation of Kelis’ memorable hook from Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s “Got Your Money” brings a twisted familiarity to the ear, and a shrewd move on his part that sticks the landing.

• “SQUEEZE”

  “SQUEEZE” immediately captivates the ear and it’s a sun-kissed summer joyride that we wish lasted longer than two minutes. It’s like those amusement park rollercoasters, but a solid thrill throughout, not one of those building up to one massive drop. Fike’s jamming shines here — and couldn’t you see this being the perfect credits scene finish to a classic mid-2000s comedy?