REVIEW: The Dare’s debut sounds like the future by going to the past

(NEXSTAR) — This week, the world finally got a full helping of music from The Dare , the Los Angeles native who rose to viral fame after producing Charli XCX’s recent hit, “Guess.” Though the artist — one of the “indie sleaze” revival’s current stars — gave listeners a taste of what he was working on with singles “Good Time” and “Girls,” the final creation is something few might have expected.

The Dare, whose name is Harrison Patrick Smith, has created much chatter online — mostly among social media users debating whether his music is “good” or “bad.” While that’s an interesting conversation to have, it’s not one The Dare really cares about. While listening to the 10-track, 27-minute debut album, “What’s Wrong With New York?” it’s hard not to notice the oddball influences the multi-faceted 28 year-old wears proudly on his sleeve and uses to create his own specific sound.

Many millennials will likely recognize every reference point in the breezy, fun and self-effacing collection. This might actually add to some of the enjoyable dysphoria people of a certain age (particularly anyone who was in college during the mid- to late- 00s) feel when listening to “What’s Wrong With New York?”

While for the longest time, new music was influenced by music created before most millennials were born — think of Bruno Mars harkening to 1960s-70s soul, Lady Gaga cribbing 1980s Madonna aesthetics — The Dare’s bold and brash debut is among many recent releases to signal a generational shift in musical influence.

In other words: millennials are getting old and now, younger artists are creating new music influenced by music millennials made and/or listened to as younger adults. And while previous generations of artists were influenced by The Beatles or Fleetwood Mac or Michael Jackson, there’s been no preparation for millennials on how to react when new music starts sounding like… LMFAO .

And that’s intended to be a huge compliment.

With “What’s Wrong With New York?”, The Dare creates a collage of styles — both high-brow and not — by juxtaposing the respected indie music of the time ( LCD Soundsystem , Radiohead) with elements of the “sleazy” party music of the time ( 3OH!3 , Ke$ha). Taken at face value, these tracks might seem silly and vapid, even dumb .

But it’s really difficult to make music this referential, this chaotic and this seemingly off-the-cuff. It would be easy to dismiss The Dare’s style as a gimmick if the production weren’t as thoughtfully crafted as it is and if the “dumbness” wasn’t used so intelligently.

On tracks like “I Destroyed Disco,” The Dare delivers cheerfully boastful lyrics reminiscent of both LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy and Kanye West (“What’s a blogger to a rocker? What’s a rocker to The Dare?”) over a stuttering electro-dance beat that devolves into a thumping noise-pop outro. Meanwhile, the album’s eighth track, “Elevation” employs elements of ’00s dance and pop that few artists would have the gall to release with a straight face. The dance-ballad draws comparisons to Cobra Starship and Thom Yorke, two artists who likely never thought they’d be stylistically paired.

There’s a whole lot going on in these songs but it’s never way too much.

While the album’s lyrics might seem empty on first listen, the further one gets into The Dare’s writing, “What’s Wrong With New York?” explores themes of depression, self-harm, loneliness and loss.

Album closer “You Can Never Go Home,” turns anthemic, movie trailer songs like Night Ranger’s “Sister Christian” on their head by joyously singing about life’s disappointments and malaise while looking ahead with optimism, or at least, with a detachment from the outcome.

The glittering-but-affordable world built by The Dare on his debut might not have intended to tap into early Obama-era/pre-Recession hope and youthfulness but given its influences and content, it’s impossible not to be plopped right back into that moment in time — particularly if you were young and hopeful at that exact time.

For millennial listeners, “What’s So Wrong With New York?” will feel like a warm embrace of the familiar but with contemporary touches. For other listeners, particularly Gen Z, “What’s Wrong With New York?” serves as another new voice dabbling in aughts iconography.

Recently, The Verge reporter Kylie Robison posted to X : “The kids are on TikTok romanticizing MGMT and being a college student in 2006, just thought I’d let y’all know,” a reference to the “indie sleaze” and mid- to late- 00s nostalgia which younger generations idealize.

For millennials, The Dare’s debut, — not to mention other recent popular releases, including Charli XCX’s “brat” — signify a welcome compliment. Maybe we’re not that young anymore, but we’re far from irrelevant.

SCORE: ★★★★★

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