What’s Wrong With New York?

Sep 11

I'm not super familiar with the whole dance-punk thing that The Dare is pulling from on What’s Wrong With New York?, so I didn’t really catch how much of it was derivative. The cheeky lyrics in songs like "Perfume" and "Girls" make it clear that he knows he's being this over-the-top egotistical character, but the whole playboy vibe gets old fast, especially when the music itself is as flat as "You’re Invited."

His delivery can be kinda annoying when the songwriting doesn’t back him up, like in the chorus of "Open Up." He definitely sounds better with more aggressive electronic beats. That said, I have no idea what the super poppy "All Night" is trying to do, but the vibe on "Elevation" worked for me as a nice shift. The last two tracks are decent too, but after the stretch from "Good Time" to "I Destroyed Disco," the album never really gets its groove back.

For a debut that’s only 27 minutes long, that’s kinda worrying. Even though I don’t know the genre inside and out, it’s pretty clear where he’s just playing dress-up here.