Kate Moss famously said, “Why the fuck can’t I have fun all the time?”. It’s a sentiment that The Dare certainly echoes – not just in his music, but in his artistic persona.
The electroclash revivalist, known for his brash sound and horny, party-hard lyrics, has become something of an internet IT boy this summer. Tapped by Charli XCX to produce her now inescapable ‘brat’ single, ‘Guess’, The Dare even took to the decks during Charli’s PARTYGIRL Boiler Room show in Ibiza, resulting in outpourings of desire in the comment section for the man permanently sporting a slick Gucci suit and Celine sunglasses.
A ‘Party Rock Anthem’ record for the Indie Sleaze renaissance, The Dare’s hedonistic and uninhibited debut album, ‘What’s Wrong With New York?’ wears an unapologetic attitude towards desire and penchant for feral behaviour.
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With the majority of tracks clocking in at under three minutes, The Dare, or Harrison Patrick Smith as he is otherwise known, sings of being broke but partying anyway on ‘Good Time’, his rapaciously sexual appetite on TikTok favourite, ‘Girls’, and generally painting the town red on ‘I Destroyed Disco’: “I break records, glasses, faces / Kicked the whole world in the teeth with my untied laces”.
Tastefully rambunctious, ‘What’s Wrong With New York?’ is a sonic melting pot of millennial and Gen Z sounds. With retro drums and abrasive synth bases, it’s a performance-geared record filled with pulsating bass lines, perfect for making bad decisions in a sweaty basement.
Don’t throw out the cigarettes just yet. ‘brat summer’ may be over, but I have a feeling that we’re in for a Dare-ingautumn (forgive me, liver).
In The Dare’s own words, “Here’s to feeling good all the time”.
8/10
Words: Aimee Phillips
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