The Dare: The New Face Of Indie-Sleaze
Who's the guy in the suit?
In New York's underground music scene, there has been one name that has been circling everywhere. The Dare, under the creative alias Harrison Patrick Smith, The Dare stands for the rebirth of indie-sleaze, a gritty and glamorous subculture that shaped the early 2000s. Although Harrison Patrick Smith certainly isn't a stranger to the music industry. Before The Dare, he worked on various music projects, including an indie rock band named Turtlenecked and the more experimental band High Water.
But it was with 'The Dare' that Smith found his true calling. He plunged headfirst into a nostalgic but surprisingly contemporary take on music, offering hard beats paired with hyper-catchy hooks in contrast to the raw D.I.Y feel that shaped indie-sleaze in the first place.
This shift came with The Dare's debut single, "Girls". The intoxicating chorus and irresistible beat turned the scene on its head right from the start. "I like the girls that do drugs, girls with cigarettes in the back of the club, girls that hate cops and buy guns," sings Smith provocatively, encapsulating the carefree and edgy spirit of the early 2000s. His follow-up single "Perfume" continued this theme with lyrics and a beat that referenced raw eroticism and infinite youth.
Nevertheless, this persona is far more than just about nostalgia. The Dare has given Harrison a firm grip on a shared longing for both authenticity and raw energy, qualities that seem to be somewhat rare in today's polished music industry. His live gigs reflect this, sending the audience into a rush of sweat and dancing to the point of forgetting their surroundings. There is an unspoken understanding between Smith and his fan base: they love chaos and exhilaration, sex and wit, all best paired with a night to remember.
Reminiscent of the Myspace days, when attitude was delivered through fashion, The Dare's aesthetic is a mix of chic cheapness and messy cool. What sets The Dare apart, though, is his skill at combining his aesthetic with a genuinely modern spin. He doesn't imitate the indie-sleaze era, he reinvents it and remakes it for a modern crowd.
Continually releasing more tracks with The Dare as both nostalgic and innovative, it's clear that Harrison is far more than just a musician. He's quite the driving force, a revivalist even, who is bringing the messy, glamorous world of indie-sleaze into the mainstream eye and demonstrating that some things transcend time.
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