Adorned in a black suit and sunglasses, The Dare is inviting you to his party. After listening to his new album “What’s Wrong with New York?” — a thumping, irreverent love letter to late nights in your 20s — you may not be able to refuse.
Harrison Patrick Smith is the man behind the persona of The Dare, a 28-year-old New York-based artist who has taken the world of dance-punk music by storm. As a producer, DJ and singer, he has successfully worked his way up from New York City clubs to mainstream recognition through his punchy beats and fun-loving lyrics.
After he released his 2023’s “The Sex EP,” Charli XCX — a fellow nightlife lover — recruited Smith to produce her song “Guess,” demanding in the lyrics “Send them to The Dare, yeah, I think he’s with it.” Smith also appeared in the music video alongside Billie Eilish, solidifying his place next to the two groundbreaking pop-punk artists.
The album starts off with “Open Up,” an anthemic call to let go paired with a catchy chorus. This tone is solidified by its follow-up track, “Good Time,” a seductive and energetic piece reminiscent of early 2000s pop — a genre that evolved post-2008 recession to emphasize having fun, even if it’s only for “tonight” and amid a lack of cash. Despite these undertones of financial struggles, Smith uses reiterated lyrics and an upbeat, boppy beat to encourage embracing carefree youth, with undercurrents of desire. The song’s message is clear: Tomorrow he’ll deal with his problems, but tonight is about having a good (wink wink) time.
The piece de resistance of the album is the song “Girls,” which gained The Dare widespread notoriety after its initial release as a single in August 2022. This is due to Smith listing the types of girls he likes explicitly in the lyrics, including, but not limited to, drug users, cigarette smokers, gun owners, murderers, girls who “give it up for Lent” and, of course, the sexually promiscuous. On “What’s Wrong with New York,” “Girls” encapsulates the album’s core themes: chaos, boldness and so much fun. The lyrics are sarcastic and juvenile, but they bring a blast of energy into any scenario that makes you want to jump straight into the nearest mosh pit.
Just as the album reaches its energy peak, The Dare, ironically, brings us down with “Elevation” — an earnest look into the sobering moments of party life and culture. It perfectly captures the feelings of the anxiety and the regrets of the night finally catching up. The chorus, sung in a longing yet harsh tone, “But there’s no escaping love… / …And I feel like taking drugs / When this elevation, elevation / Elevation’s done / There’s still no erasing / No erasing us” reminds the listener that once the high is over, the crash leaves them exactly the same as they were before. In an album that largely centers around hype dance songs, this ballad provides an essential reset for the audience.
“I Destroyed Disco” emerges as the album’s most self-referential track, offering a pointed commentary on the media’s attempt to pigeonhole The Dare into a specific genre: “Punk rock to disco / Missiles / Blowin’ up the motherfucking club / From Nеw York to San Francisco.” Is he rock? Punk? Disco? Something new entirely? Either way, Smith makes it clear that whatever genre we try to limit him to, he’ll blow it up and spin it on its head entirely. “Why stop? Don’t know, I don’t care / What’s a blogger to a rocker?” he teases to over-eager journalists (like this one).
But as inventive and surprising as the album is, The Dare isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel. His ’90s indie sleaze style is inspired by LCD Soundsystem, False Prophet and the Rolling Stones, giving Gen Z our own soundtrack for the angst, longing and yes, horniness, of partying in your 20s. However, Smith doesn’t want to be constricted to one genre. His suit and sunglasses may scream “drugs, sex and rock n’ roll,” but as he said best in “I Destroyed Disco:” “What’s a rocker to The Dare?”
