What’s a rocker to The Dare?
If you’ve been on social media recently, chances are you’ve seen the words “brat summer” plastered across platforms like TikTok and X. This past June, Charli XCX broke the internet by releasing her new hyperpop album brat. A few days after the album’s initial release, XCX kept the hype alive by releasing the deluxe version, brat and it’s the same but there are three more songs so it’s not. Among the new tracks, a song titled “Guess” appeared. Later, Billie Eilish would feature on a remix of the song and star in the music video alongside XCX. This hit track was produced by up-and-coming New York City DJ, The Dare.
The Dare is the stage name for musician Harrison Patrick Smith. Before collaborating with XCX on brat, Smith released The Sex EP, which featured the raunchy viral song “Girls.” Fans considered the song to mark the return of “Indie Sleaze,” a genre prominent in the late 2000s and early 2010s that was defined by artists like The Strokes, Arctic Monkeys, and LCD Soundsystem. When he isn’t releasing music, Smith hosts DJ gigs in New York that he calls “freakquencies” with famous guests like Kesha and Devon Lee Carlson in attendance. Smith’s confident persona and uniform of a tuxedo and sunglasses made waves on TikTok after he appeared at events promoting brat next to XCX.
Following this increased online exposure, Smith announced a new The Dare album in late June titled What’s Wrong with New York? He prefaced the album with the release of two new singles: “Perfume” and “You’re Invited.” Smith also released two music videos to accompany the new tracks. In “Perfume,” Smith sings of his love for his luxury perfume and its effect on those around him, “All the boys and the girls ask me what is that smell?” On “You’re Invited,” Smith takes a slightly different tone than “Perfume” while keeping the sound danceable. The track repeats the phrase “You’re Invited” over a fun techno beat for most of the runtime.
On Sept. 6, Smith officially released What’s Wrong with New York? to the world. The album contains 10 tracks, including the two new singles and another two that were previously released on The Sex EP. The six new tracks are different from Smith’s previous releases while still sticking to The Dare’s sound and persona. On “Elevation,” “All Night,” and “You Can Never Go Home,” Smith sings instead of using his usual style of spoken word over a beat. In “I Destroyed Disco,” Smith outlines his cool-guy persona, claiming he has changed the game for electronica, boasting, “You’ll never reach my level, so don’t chase it” and asking the now-iconic question: “What’s a rocker to The Dare?”
The album is full of synth, beat drops, chants, and suggestive lyrics. Like brat, the songs feel like something you could dance to in the club. What’s Wrong with New York? is the perfect album to listen to if you’re still chasing that “Brat Summer” feeling. Smith is guaranteed to make you dance and embrace The Dare’s all-nighter attitude.
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