Rare DM
Attention
self-released
New York’s Rare DM, nee Erin Hoagg, has been a going concern in the broader world of synth music for some years now, plying a tasteful take on modern electro, with some darker overtones. 2026’s Attention feels like something of a departure for the performer and producer in that it sets aside much of the project’s urbane sensibilities for more direct and naked emotion, and more forceful and stripped down songcraft.
Importantly, the musical side of the record feels consistent with Rare DM’s catalogue to this point, just more insistent, and frequently more nervy and even anxious. That manifests via the fast moving bass and tumbling drums of “LA Traffic”, its synths detuning and jumping around between its percussive change ups, and the cod-acid techno of “Significant Other”, a song whose grinding rhythm and machinegunned bass seems more likely to inspire panic attacks than dancing. That said, there are plenty of more subtle indicators of where the project is at these days to be found as well; on the simple synth ballad “Lil DM”, much of the project’s busy production and layers of electronics are stripped back, replaced by one of the best vocals they’ve recorded, swimming through big atmospheric reverbs in ways that feel vulnerable and dreamy in equal measure.
It’s those moments where we finally get a slightly clearer picture of who Hoagg is, beyond the bounds of their stylized persona. There’s always been a certain coy detachment apparent in previous recordings, and despite her obvious vocal charisma, we were never able to get much of clear read on who Rare DM is. Songs like “Mean Girled” and “Feel Nothing” simply sound more candid then we’ve come to expect from her; the former right from its confessional opening couplet (“We’re not even fucking/Why am I worried about you?”), the latter for its obsessive repetition, that gets more manic until the whole song goes into a shaky meltdown. It’s still obviously the same artist, and the production is still the same mix of darkwave, minimal synth and general art pop, just amplified, and, well, more blunt.
Attention is well-named, especially in how it feels like the most magnetic that Rare DM has sounded. There’s a few drop dead gorgeous cuts (twinkling closer “Landed” is absolutely tremendous for one), and a few club bids (the archly delivered “325”), but they all serve to paint a broader and more detailed portrait of Rare DM, compellingly so.
