The first three songs of The Dare’s debut album, “What’s Wrong With New York?,” are status-quo indie sleaze. “Open Up,” the first track in the album, does “open” you “up.” It’s amusing with shouting crowd background vocals. It makes you feel pumped up to start the day, and it is one of the more tame songs in his discography.
However, this is immediately juxtaposed by “Good Time,” which is sort of the other side of the “Open Up” coin. It’s a sensual grungy techno-rock record that’s like sifting your way through a sweaty, underground celebrity-filled club with some kitschy name like The Glass which you can never remember what it’s called or what you drank. It is an aspirational ballad for mornings where the apartment you leave is decked out with disc-jockey equipment and a man who made you sign an NDA.
Lastly, “Perfume,” the third track, is the perfect ending to that sweaty night you just had. You’ve gained a whole new perspective on how you want to live your life, and with your newfound confidence, you might even get lucky and sneak into The Glass again.
The album’s middle is filled with the biggest hits of The Dare’s career. His breakthrough track “Girls” caused a truckload of controversy back in 2023 for its vulgar lyrics and provocative cover art. The cover art depicts two seemingly young girls engaging in sexual activities with two adult men next to the stereo. This was done on purpose to spark buzz around his “Sex EP.”
It regained popularity after “The Dare” was featured on Charli xcx’s “Brat” album. It started to be viewed in a completely different light, with most women seeing it as an empowering ballad surrounding the sexual liberation of women. His flow is consistent throughout the track and at some point, you can hear a crowd of girls shouting along to the lyrics giving it an immersive experience.
“I Destroyed Disco” is by far my favorite song, it’s The Dare at his finest hour, really leaning into the hatred he’s received, such as being called a worse version of The Hellp and LCD Soundsystem, the founding fathers of synth punk. You can truly feel his discontent with the shallow criticism, “What’s a blogger (criticizers) to a rocker (his comparisons) to The Dare.” It’s a parody of himself.
His next track “You’re Invited” is the least memorable song on the entire album and the worst. Extremely hard to believe it was released as a lead single. On its own it is extremely weak and doesn’t give you a good insight into what the album entails. “I Destroyed Disco” would have been a much much better choice.
The last four songs of the album are amazing. He attempts to broaden his range, shocking fans. “All Night” pays homage to the indie breakout artists during 2010; you can feel the MGMT inspiration here. And “Elevation,” his first love ballad, feels grounded. The Dare has never done anything like this before, only solidifying himself as a music artist instead of an underground NYC DJ.
The second-to-last track, “Movement,” reads more as an interlude to the grand finale, “You Can Never Go Home,” warning you that The Dare’s got you in his hooks, and if you tried to make any conscious effort to not be a fan, it’s too late.
