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The Dare (musician)

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The Dare
The Dare performing in Sydney, 2024.
The Dare performing in Sydney, 2024.
Background information
Birth nameHarrison Patrick Smith
Also known asTurtlenecked
BornMarch 19, 1996 (1996-03-19) (age 28)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres
Years active2015–present
Labels

Harrison Patrick Smith (born March 19, 1996),[1] known professionally as The Dare and formerly as Turtlenecked, is an American singer and musician. He is best known for his single "Girls", released in August 2022,[2] and for producing the song "Guess" by Charli XCX from the deluxe version of her 2024 album Brat.

After performing indie music as Turtlenecked in the Pacific Northwest, Smith moved to New York City and began writing songs as the Dare. Following the releases of the singles "Girls" and "Good Time", Smith signed with Republic Records and on May 19, 2023, released The Sex EP to mixed reviews. In 2024, he released What's Wrong with New York?, his debut studio album as The Dare, to largely positive reviews.

The Dare is associated with the indie sleaze revival[a] and Dimes Square.[6][7]

Early life

[edit]

Harrison Patrick Smith was born in West Hollywood, Los Angeles,[8][9] and grew up in Woodinville, a suburb of Seattle.[10] His mother is a psychotherapist, and his late father was a medical devices salesman.[11] As a child, he played violin and guitar and read about fashion.[3] He later moved to Portland to attend Lewis & Clark College, where he studied English literature.[12]

Career

[edit]

Turtlenecked

[edit]

In 2014, while attending Lewis & Clark College, Smith formed a musical project called Turtlenecked, which developed a cult following in the Pacific Northwest.[13][3] His debut album, Pure Plush Bone Cage, was released in August 2016. Pitchfork's Ian Cohen rated their second album Vulture (2017) a 6.0/10, saying that Smith is "capable of penning voice-of-a-generation quotables" while also criticizing some of his lyricism as "insufferable".[14] On April 27, 2018, the group released an EP, High Scores of the Heart, which NPR's Jerad Walker praised for being "so polished that you might be surprised to find out that he is still just an undergrad."[13] Smith moved to New York City in 2017, where he continued performing with Turtlenecked.[3] He also worked as a waiter and guitar teacher in the area.[7]

After COVID-19 pandemic restrictions eased, Smith resumed performing gigs with Turtlenecked.[3] Until December 2022, Smith worked as a substitute teacher at a private school in the West Village neighborhood of New York City.[3] He moonlighted as a DJ, hosting a semi-weekly party called Freakquencies at the Lower East Side dive bar Home Sweet Home,[3][5] and hosted afterparties for fashion brands Celine and Gucci.[5] Smith released his final projects as Turtlenecked, the album Kapow! and the EP Cherish, in 2020.[12]

The Dare

[edit]

During the pandemic, Smith created self-described "goofy" songs to send to his friends. One night, inspired by the Rolling Stones album Some Girls, Smith created the song "Girls", which would become his first single as The Dare.[3] He played it at Turtlenecked shows, and noticed that the crowd received it well even though it was more frenetic and thematically light than the indie music he typically made.[3] Smith officially released the song in August 2022, calling it "a rejection of the last five years of music" which he felt had become overly serious.[3] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times named "Girls" as the fifth best song of 2022, calling it "[e]pically silly and epically debauched".[15]

In March 2023, Smith released a second single, "Good Time".[16] The next month, after a bidding war with several major labels, Smith was signed with Republic Records.[3] The Sex EP, Smith's first EP as the Dare, was released May 19, 2023, to mixed reviews.[17] In June 2023, it was announced that the Dare would join the U.S. west coast leg of artist Yves Tumor's international tour.[18]

In June 2024 the Dare joined Charli XCX as the opening act of her three-date North American tour in support of Brat.[19] In August the remix of Charli XCX's song "Guess", featuring Billie Eilish and produced by the Dare alongside Finneas, debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart.[20] 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.[21][22][23]

Reception

[edit]

English singer Charli XCX praised "Girls" in a 2022 interview, saying it "goes off at parties";[24] the two later collaborated on "Guess" for the deluxe edition of her 2024 album Brat.[25] The Dare later performed as the opening act for the Brooklyn date of Charli XCX's Brat tour in June 2024.[26] His musical style has frequently been compared to LCD Soundsystem,[b] the Rapture,[c] and Peaches.[d]

In a critical review in Pitchfork, Sophie Kemp compared The Dare to LMFAO and claimed his schtick "looks better on a T-shirt than in a song, where its snarkiness is a little exhausting".[27]

Personal life

[edit]

As of July 2023, Smith lived in an apartment in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn. In a profile for GQ, Samuel Hine described him as "a little shy", unlike his stage persona. Smith calls himself a "huge music nerd" and said he struggled with anxiety and hypochondria when he moved to New York City.[3]

Discography

[edit]

As The Dare

As Turtlenecked[31]

  • Twisted Legs (2015)
  • The Romantics (2015)
  • Sub-Reptilian Ennui (2016)
  • Swish (2016)
  • Pure Plush Bone Cage (2016)
  • Caveat (2016)
  • Boys Club (2016)
  • Vulture (2017)
  • High Scores of the Heart (2018)
  • Springtime in Hell (2018)
  • Kapow (2020)
  • Cherish (2020)

Notes

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  1. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[1][3][4][5]
  2. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[3][4][12][16][27][28]
  3. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[17][27][29]
  4. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[3][27][30]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Fetters Maloy, Ashley (June 8, 2023). "The Dare is the poster child for a new but familiar downtown Manhattan". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  2. ^ Hawgood, Alex (October 25, 2022). "What the 'Cool Kids' Are Super Into". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Hine, Samuel (May 16, 2023). "Everybody Wants a Piece of The Dare". GQ. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Passaway, Kieron (November 20, 2023). "I Went to The Dare's Gig to See If Indie Sleaze Is Actually Back". Vice. Vice Media. Archived from the original on November 21, 2023. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c Hawgood, Alex (May 17, 2023). "The Dare Is About To Be Everywhere". W Magazine. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  6. ^ "Dimes Square: meet the new artists reinvigorating NYC's music scene". NME. May 15, 2023. Archived from the original on June 12, 2024. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  7. ^ a b Yalcinkaya, Günseli (December 1, 2023). "An old school indie tour of Camden Town with The Dare". Dazed. Archived from the original on December 1, 2023. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  8. ^ Sobrevilla, Savannah (April 24, 2024). "VMEN: The Dare". V. Visionaire. Archived from the original on April 24, 2024. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  9. ^ Cubbin, Caroline (August 13, 2024). "Meet the Dare, the Ultra-Cool Musician Behind Charli XCX's "Guess"". L'Officiel USA. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
  10. ^ Lankenau, Cris (August 17, 2016). "How College Poseurs Inspired Turtlenecked's Homemade Pop". Willamette Week. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  11. ^ Kamer, Foster (August 29, 2024). "What's the Deal with the Dare?". The New York Times.
  12. ^ a b c Rincon, Alessandra (November 10, 2022). "The Dare Is Picking Up Where Dance Punk Left Off". Ones to Watch. Live Nation. Archived from the original on November 10, 2022. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  13. ^ a b Walker, Jerad (April 25, 2018). "Songs We Love: Turtlenecked, 'Knocked Down By Another Ghost'". NPR.
  14. ^ Cohen, Ian (June 30, 2017). "Turtlenecked: Vulture". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  15. ^ Caramanica, John (December 7, 2022). "Best Songs of 2022". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 7, 2022. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  16. ^ a b Larson, Jeremy D. (March 3, 2023). "The Dare: "Good Time" Track Review". Pitchfork. Condé Nast. Archived from the original on March 3, 2023. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  17. ^ a b Johnston, Maura (May 24, 2023). "The Dare Brings Back Early-2000s NYC Rock for 12 Joyless Minutes on 'The Sex EP'". Rolling Stone. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on May 24, 2023. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  18. ^ "Yves Tumor announces shows with Crack Loud and The Dare". BrooklynVegan. June 20, 2023. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
  19. ^ Moili, Grace. "Charli XCX brings the brat tour to Los Angeles". Off the Record. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
  20. ^ Griffiths, George. "Charli xcx and Billie Eilish debut at Number 1 with Guess remix". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
  21. ^ Bassett, Jordan. "The Dare – 'What's Wrong With New York?' review: an effective if uninventive throwback". NME. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
  22. ^ Phillips, Aimee. "The Dare – What's Wrong With New York?". Clash. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
  23. ^ Robinson, Otis. "The Dare - What's Wrong With New York?". DIY Magazine. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
  24. ^ Coughlan, Maggie (October 27, 2022). "Charli XCX Isn't So Sure About Space Travel". Vanity Fair. Condé Nast. Archived from the original on October 27, 2022. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  25. ^ Corcoran, Nina (June 10, 2024). "Charli XCX Releases Deluxe Edition of Brat: Listen". Pitchfork. Condé Nast. Archived from the original on June 10, 2024. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  26. ^ Sacher, Andrew (June 12, 2024). "Charli XCX played her first 'Brat' US show at Brooklyn Paramount (videos, review, setlist)". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  27. ^ a b c d Kemp, Sophie (May 22, 2023). "The Dare: The Sex EP". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  28. ^ Rossingol, Derrick (August 10, 2022). "The Dare Throws A Two-Minute Rager On The Punchy Single 'Girls'". Uproxx. Warner Music Group. Archived from the original on August 10, 2022. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  29. ^ Moen, Matt (August 5, 2022). "The Dare Revives Late 2000s New York Bloghouse With 'Girls'". Paper. Archived from the original on February 27, 2024. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  30. ^ Palmer, Elle (April 18, 2024). "The Teaches of Peaches: is electroclash in line for a full-blown revival?". Far Out. Archived from the original on June 12, 2024. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  31. ^ "Turtlenecked". Bandcamp. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
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