The Dare's new single is "Perfume." A pulsing, bass-driven banger, "Perfume" delivers another dose of shameless sleaze to indie sleaze's well-underway revival, and quite frankly, it stinks in the best possible way.
Irreverent mastermind Harrison Patrick Smith (The Dare) slathers synth-soaked swagger all over an intoxicating ode to cheap cologne and bad decisions. "Failure" opens with proud drum machines and spare, rubbery twangs, then dives headlong into Smith's particular brand of surface abandon. He sings with a devil-may-care charm and makes grand declarations about the bewitching power of his bargain-bin scent. "It's $5.99," he boasts. "I spray it in my mouth, and it's just divine." It's absurd. It's ridiculous. And there's no escaping that.
"Perfume" soars on its gaudy bravado, walking the tightrope between knowing self-parody and bold confidence. The production is equally reckless synths and percussion patterns snake over one another like neon flashing in a saturated club den, evading the line between cool and kitsch. The result? A track that digs so hard into its raunchy ridiculousness that it becomes untouchable.
With "Perfume," The Dare is soaking it in some noxious cologne, cranking it up, and making us all boogie in the stink. It's definitely a must-listen for anyone who likes their nightlife with a dash of mayhem and lots of personality.