The Dare steps off the gritty streets of indie-electro and into the pulsing heart of the dance floor with Freakquencies: Vol 1, following the release of teaser single ‘Tambourine’. This four-track instrumental EP is a bold swipe at the club culture canon, with hardly any vocals, the record blisters with pure, kinetic energy sculpted for late-night fervour. From the kickdrum-fuelled opener to the last lingering synth fade, this is Harrison Patrick Smith at peak form – lean, lethal, and ready to move you.
Opening with ‘Kick’, he picks up the classic MC5 sample from ‘Ramblin’ Rose’ and drops it into an acid-streaked rave petri dish. It’s taut, loaded with swagger, and a perfect primer for what follows. Next up, ‘Modelizer’ revives early‑2010s electro-house nostalgia, strutting with layered arpeggios and pulsing grooves that refuse to stay still, erupting into a classic Dare crunchy breakdown in its final chapters.
By the time ‘Tambourine’ rolls in, the mood darkens, giving way to shadowy, percussive club delirium. Thick, swelling basslines, grimy saw stabs, twitchy two-step rhythms, and glitch-warped vocals ricochet through the haze. ‘Exhilaration’ closes the set with a crystalline surge of electro-pop euphoria, closing the project on a dizzying yet invigorating note.
Freakquencies: Vol 1 sees the savant of Indie Sleaze take a sharp left turn away from the feral anthems that propelled him to fame into strobe-lit, smoky territory that feels subterranean and cerebral – yet, irresistibly danceable as ever.
Listen now:
