The Dare

Biography

Harrison Patrick Smith, known professionally as The Dare, was born in 1996 and raised deep in the forest outside Seattle, Washington, in a culturally isolated environment. His early musical interests began typically for a 2000s American kid with Green Day and My Chemical Romance CDs from Target, progressing to MP3s from Spin magazine featuring artists like Smith Westerns and Jessica Lea Mayfield. Forced to play violin from age 4, he switched to guitar at 12 after an ultimatum from his parents—his mother a homemaker and his father, who passed away seven years ago, a failed actor marketing X-ray machines. He played in high school bands, then attended Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon, studying English Literature, where he launched his post-punk project Turtlenecked, releasing three albums from 2018 to 2021 and gaining local traction amid bands like Strange Ranger.[1][3]

After college, Smith relocated to New York City with a then-girlfriend, initially facing depression and loneliness. Post-pandemic, he reinvented himself by learning to DJ at venues like The Glove in Bushwick and securing a residency at Home Sweet Home on the Lower East Side, where he developed his signature suited look. While working as a primary school teacher in the West Village and at a consignment store, he founded the Freakquencies party, a key part of New York's Downtown scene, and DJed for fashion shows by Celine and Gucci. Self-releasing his debut single 'Girls' in August 2022 as The Dare marked his electroclash revival, blending abrasive electronica, post-punk, disco, and funk influences with raunchy, artifice-embracing aesthetics inspired by 2000s indie sleaze and LCD Soundsystem. The track's organic success led to his 2024 debut album What’s Wrong with New York? and production on Charli XCX's Brat.[1][2][3][4]

The Dare's style critiques authentic indie rock norms from his Portland days, prioritizing playful, horny post-pandemic energy and party theses over raw truth-telling. Now a hyped figure with sold-out London shows and a distinct persona—sunglasses, suits, and manic stage presence—he navigates industry disposability while building a community around electroclash revival, maintaining control post-label interest.[1][2]

Fun Facts

• Worked as a primary school teacher in Manhattan's West Village while DJing weekly at Freakquencies and self-releasing 'Girls,' which snowballed into major hype.
• Developed his DJ skills on the fly post-pandemic with no prior experience, securing a 4-5 hour weekly residency at Lower East Side dive bar Home Sweet Home.
• Founded Freakquencies, a buzzy party fixture in New York's Downtown scene, packing venues like Dalston Den and tying into his electroclash revival mission.
• Signature stage look started with a blazer from his consignment store job at Beacon’s Closet, evolving into a suited, sunglasses-sporting persona.

Musical Connections

Key Collaborators

• Charli XCX - Produced tracks for her album (Brat) [2024]
• Water From Your Eyes - Fellow skewiff-pop scene member met at The Glove (none specified) [post-college, early NYC]
• Coco & Clair Clair - Fellow skewiff-pop scene member met at The Glove (none specified) [post-college, early NYC]

External Links

• Spotify