The album is already receiving widespread critical acclaim. The New York Times calls it “a love letter to being young and hedonistic in New York” and “a tight 10-song flex of Smith’s formidable production skills.”
The album comes on the heels of a whirlwind few weeks for The Dare, who earned his first U.K. #1 alongside Charli xcx and Billie Eilish with their track “Guess,” which he produced for the deluxe edition of Brat. He’s spent the summer opening for Charli at a slew of shows, most recently at her Boiler Room in Ibiza, as well as at her first-ever Brat live performances in New York and Los Angeles.
The Dare is the solo project of vocalist, songwriter, and producer Harrison Patrick Smith. He burst onto the scene with “Girls,” and his much-lauded The Sex EP drew widespread praise from critics and fellow artists alike.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Smith created “goofy” songs to send to his friends. Inspired by the Rolling Stones album Some Girls, he made the song “Girls”, which would become his first single as The Dare. He officially released “Girls” in August 2022, calling it “a rejection of the last five years of music”, which he felt had become overly serious. The song was named the 5th best song of 2022 by Jon Caramanica of The New York Times, who called it “epically silly and epically debauched”. In March 2023, Smith released a second single, “Good Time”. After a bidding war with several major labels, he signed with Republic Records in April 2023. His first EP as, The Dare, The Sex EP, was released on May 19, 2023 to mixed reviews. In June 2023, it was announced that The Dare would join the U.S. West Coast leg of artist Yves Tumor’s international tour. He later joined Charli XCX as the opening act for her three-date North American tour supporting Brat in June 2024. The Dare produced the song “Guess” featuring Billie Eilish for the deluxe edition of Charli XCX‘s 2024 album Brat, which debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart in August 2024. The Dare’s debut studio album, What’s Wrong with New York? was released on September 6, 2024, via Republic and Polydor Records to positive reviews. His musical style has frequently been compared to LCD Soundsystem.
Reception
English singer Charli XCX praised “Girls” in a 2022 interview, saying it “goes off at parties”. The Dare’s live performances, which often feature him in a sharp black suit, have sold out across North America and Europe. His DJ sets, honed at his signature downtown Manhattan party Freakquencies, have soundtracked parties for fashion brands like Gucci and Celine. The Dare has been described as the unlikely face of the “indie sleaze revival”. His provocative, raunchy lyrics and larger-than-life persona have drawn praise and criticism. As he told The Face magazine, “I think when a lot of people talk about sex in music, it’ll be couched in a political context to make it more palatable. The song is about sex, but it’s from this particular perspective that is empowering. My music doesn’t really have the intention of making you feel better about something.”
