The Dare – What’s Wrong With New York?

Harrison Smith, formerly known as Turtlenecked, entered the NYC scene as The Dare in 2022 through his DJ sets and parties, known as Freakquencies. But in August of 2023, he released his debut single Girls which fully changed the course of his career. Girls gained him a cult following and attention with the media (and Charli XCX) that landed him in the hands of Republic Records in early 2023. May of 2023, The Dare released his first music under this label with The Sex EP, and has since opened for Yves Tumor and Charli XCX, whose hit song Guess he had produced and music video he cameoed in, solidifying himself as a side character of the phenomenon that is “brat summer.” June of 2024, he announced his first tour as The Dare alongside an album to be released in September. The album, What’s Wrong With New York, has finally arrived, and it does not disappoint.

Open Up

The album’s opener, fittingly titled Open Up, is the auditory equivalent of walking into the party that is What’s Wrong With New York. Panning guitars and a punchy kick drum backs the first two verses, building to the chanted chorus. Although the song does not have much to say lyrically, it doesn’t really need to. Ending with buzzing feedback, the song ends with the sound of a cable being unplugged, leading into the second track.

Good Time

The track Good Time, initially released as a single off of The Dare’s Sex EP, finds its place as the second track of the album. Sharp and distorted synths drill into the opening and remain throughout the first verse and chorus. As the chorus begins, a deep bass synth accompanies lyrics that echo the attitudes of recession pop, as Smith sings that “I got no money, you got no money, we got a good time.” The following verse holds one of the most memorable lines of the album that can be found printed across his tour merch, “I’m in the club while you’re online.” Around a minute and thirty seconds, the song builds to an instrumental break with numerous overlapping synths, before ending with a repeat of its chorus.

Perfume

A short break from the party comes in the form of the album’s third track, Perfume. Perfume feels like you have quietly snuck out the backdoor of a party, but found yourself in a Dior commercial scored by the band CAKE. The entire track, Smith sings about, you guessed it, his perfume. Unfortunately, as of now, this perfume (which he claims is only $5.99) is not for sale. The rhythmic and minimal bass synth and the returning panning guitars build into the end of chorus, where a huge, booming synth enters, surely rattling the speakers of all that hear it.

Girls

Easily the most popular track on this album (yet maybe too vulgar to censor for radio play) is his debut single Girls, and understandably so. Girls channels the hedonistic attitude of late 2000s party culture and has become the definitive song for what the internet has deemed the “indie sleaze revival.” In this track, you reenter the party, rejuvenated and ready to make questionable life choices. Smith sings essentially through a list of the types of girls that he likes, which (spoiler alert) is all of them. The song is carried by loud and groovy bass that distorts between the chorus and the first verse, until the second verse, where it builds until the distortion finally accompanies the final chorus, making a perfect ending to the song. The production of this track is absolutely perfect for what it is, a danceable party banger that is finding itself onto the flash drives of DJs and playlists of chronically online Gen Z’ers across the country.

I Destroyed Disco

With lines like “kick the whole world in the teeth with my untied laces, you’ll never reach my level so don’t chase it,” and “what’s a blogger to a rocker, whats a rocker to The Dare,” I Destroyed Disco sees The Dare at his most braggadocious. This track also holds some of the most interesting production on the album. Screeching synth that builds throughout the last half of the song until a drop that brings in a heavily distorted and loud clipping bass line that suddenly makes sense once you see Dylan Brady of 100 gecs credited as co-producer .

You’re Invited

My biggest critique of this album is the track You’re Invited not coming directly after Open Up. Given the party spirit of the album, a track that is quite literally an invitation to a party logically would be placed at the beginning of said album. You’re Invited, although featuring programmed drums, is the only track on this album that could almost entirely be played with live instruments. The song begins with drums panning from left to right, over a funky bass line that continues as the lifeline of the track until the final verse. But before this final verse, enters a catchy and simple hook of “ooh”’s that has been seemingly absent from pop music for many years.

All Night

After weeks of seeing internet clips of this song at live shows, it quickly became my most anticipated track, and it proved itself to be just as good as I had hoped. All Night is by FAR my favorite track and the biggest highlight from this album and thankfully, it is one of its longest. This track is the climax of the album, with its catchy hooks and big sound. The spirit of early MGMT very apparently rushed through Smith as he created the fun, bright synth line that repeats throughout this song. The lyrical focus of the song enters a more romantic theme, as The Dare sings about how he does not want a night with someone to end “when they kick us out in half an hour,” and how he wants to walk the streets with them. I have hopes that this will become The Dare’s next big hit, as it has found itself on various SiriusXM channels. I have my fingers crossed that it will be entering the world of FM radio soon.

Elevation

If this album is a party, then Elevation is a late night Uber ride home. Here, we find Smith at his most personal as the romantic theme from the previous song continues and it is shockingly emotional when compared to the rest of this album. He sings about what seems to be the ‘one that got away,’ whom he claims he “once knew how to be without, but there’s no escaping love.” Its instrumentation is the most minimal on the album, as it is carried only by a repeating drum and a buzzing synth, occasionally accompanied by another, more emotional and  reverb-heavy synth.

Movement

The transition into Movement from Elevation is one of the most hilariously shocking changes in mood I have ever heard from an album. If Elevation is the uber ride home, Movement is a text message from your most unhinged friend that there is an after party. This track feels like jumping into an ice bath after shotgunning a Red Bull and running from the cops. Repeating synths carry the first verse into the hook, where they return but big, loud, distorted, and of course, once again in the hands of Dylan Brady. The sound of a police siren transitions the hook into the second verse, where the synth returns along with Smiths vocals, which keep you grounded as chopped panning vocals and other SFX whir past your head. All sanity is lost once again when the hook returns and is followed by HEAVILY crushed drums and bass synth.

You Can Never Go Home

The tone switches once again for the closing track, You Can Never Go Home, which begins with only an electric piano and closed hi-hat. This song is a new, more personal take on the album’s recurring theme of a night that should never end, as his lyrics describe a good night out as a form of escapism. The instrumental build during the closing verse is undeniably a highlight from this album, as the humming synth in the background builds and sets a hopeful atmosphere and a high note to end on. This song is an absolutely perfect end to the album, but of course not the party.