Rare DM has never really felt like just a music project. For Erin Hoagg, songs, clothes, movement, synthesizers, cinema and whatever strange image is currently stuck in her head all seem to feed into the same universe. It’s a world of analog electronics, immaculate suits, late-night romanticism and just enough darkness around the edges, somewhere between pop star fantasy and art-school fever dream.
With Attention, her second album, that world feels bigger, sharper and more self-assured than ever. Where 2019’s Vanta Black often sat with heartbreak, its follow-up is more restless and seductive, full of lust, ego, movement and the peculiar feeling of being watched while also wanting to be seen. Hoagg has extended that world through a seemingly endless run of videos too, from vampires wandering the Lower East Side to BMWs, ferries and LA traffic.
When we caught up with her, Attention had been out long enough for Hoagg to see which songs were finding their people, sometimes in ways she hadn’t expected. We talked about making videos with zero dollars and a dream, her obsession with visual culture, what makes a perfect music video, working alongside Fever Ray on The Bride!, her definition of a pop star and why whatever comes after Attention probably won’t stay in one place for very long.
Rare DM by David Rauch-Bautista (@drbmemory)
HighClouds: Attention has now been out for three months now. How have you felt about the audience’s reaction to it? Has anything about the audience’s reaction surprised you?
I was thrilled with how many people listened to it when it dropped. I got a lot of unexpected messages praising the album, and I was really touched by that!
It has been surprising to see which songs people have been most excited about and resonate with most.
Looking back after the album’s release, is there a song that listeners connected with differently than you expected?
The video for “Honey” really took off, and the song did too. It seems like people really connected with the serious lyrics and loved the contrast of the (rather unserious) vampire VHS video. I had so much fun reading the comments on YouTube and was pleasantly surprised the song was so loved because it’s very different from most of the album. Also “Butterfly Historian” seems like it’s becoming a favorite for people, which is interesting.
Were there any songs that almost didn’t make the final tracklist for Attention but now feel essential? Is there any song you wish you had put on?
“Significant Other” was the final song mixed. Attention wouldn’t be the same without it! That instrumental rips and it’s one of my favorite tracks on my album. I am happy with the number of tracks in the final, so I feel pretty good, I don’t wish another track had made it. I wish I had more songs already mixed/mastered for upcoming things though!
When people discover Rare DM today, do you hope they begin with Attention, or do you think Vanta Black is a better introduction?
I’d rather them listen to Attention, but I think “send nudes” is a great introduction actually. The song/video are very close to my heart and was the track between the two albums that tied them together.
You have mentioned your desire to merge the audio with the visual. When you begin a new project, do you imagine images first, sounds first, or do they develop together?
Usually song first, but often I have a visual in mind while I am finishing things, or am inspired by things while I am writing that naturally end up in the video. I always knew I wanted to shoot “LA Traffic” in LA, and “send nudes” was alway a bike song.
So far, I have counted 7 music videos from Attention. Do you plan to release one for each track? How do you decide which track gets an album and how do you create the stories for them?
I would love to finish the other 6! I think that’s a great idea. I’ll circle back on that 😉
The songs that become the “singles” usually get videos. Ideally always. That’s best practice for giving a song the best stage possible to find new listeners, and hope that people care. As far as the videos go, when I am blessed with working with Lisa Saeboe and Jake Moore, (“Rolex”, “Compliment”) they have a whole creative direction and shot list in mind from the get-go. With the videos I have dreamed up, I usually have a loose idea of what I want to do, and/or I improvise. For example, I wanted to bike with a go-pro for the “send nudes” video, so I could film it myself during peak covid March 2020. Jordan Fuller who co-directed (and made the fancy steadicam footage possible with Keith Ferreira) let me borrow his. Then naturally I knew I wanted a 1987 BMW 325 for the 325 music video, and found out Keith literally had one, and was down to clown.
For “Honey” I didn’t know what I wanted to do other then run around the LES with a VHS, Calvin Stark and Gianna Dallman – then I found my tailcoat / vampire cape and thought that would be fun. For “Mean Girled” I always knew I wanted to do a video on the ferry, and that one worked out perfectly. Shooting “LA Traffic” was a bit more planned out – my buddy Mallen directed, and we fully locked down locations as well as styling with Shaina Rose, and had a lil plot for it.
I guess it all depends on the video and the size of the team! “The Ring” was another $0 video that was a VHS, Calvin and a dream. Just drove my Dad’s cool Vanagon Carat around, and ran around in the woods in a suit. It is spooky and I had a bunch of fun editing that one too.
Rare DM by David Rauch-Bautista (@drbmemory)
Has there ever been a moment where the visuals changed your understanding of a track?
Everytime I shoot a video for a track I get better at performing that song live and have a new experience with it. I remember intricate details in the song that I maybe forgot about, and I learn the song all over again in a new way, especially when editing the video myself. You spend soooo much time with it, it’s only natural.
Is there a medium you haven’t explored yet that you’d like to incorporate into the Rare DM project in the future?
I would like to design my own stage clothes someday, and have some proper dance routines live.
Are there any particular visual artists or filmmakers who inspire you?
Some visual artists: Rothko, Eadweard Muybridge, Man Ray, Hilma af Klint, René Gruau, Kathleen F. Hoagg (Mom), Douglas Hoagg (Dad).
Some filmmakers: Satoshi Kon, Joon Ho, Guillermo del Toro, Ridley Scott, Ingmar Bergman, Akira Kurosawa, Hayao Miyazaki.
As someone who pays close attention to visual composition, are there album covers or music videos that you consider perfect works of art?
Perfect!? That’s a very serious word!! Daft Punk‘s Interstella 5555 is perfect though. The Knife‘s Pass This On is perfect also. I don’t know who else I should say perfect about. I will say I love the music video for “Locket” by Crumb, Metronomy‘s “She Wants” & “Aquarius” (Metronomy has great videos in general), Ladytron‘s “Seventeen” is a classic also. Justice‘s “Stress” is a favorite. Chromeo – “Night by Night” for sure. The 2012 video “Time to Dance” by The Shoes is awesome – FKA Twigs is a featured dancer in it before she dropped “Two Weeks” and Jake Gyllenhaal is a hipster serial killer. It’s fun. They are all inventive and I’m nostalgic about them. What else? There are so many! I am for sure forgetting some favs!!
Regarding album covers… Interpol‘s Turn On The Bright Lights, Weyes Blood‘s Titanic Rising is incredible. Grace Jones‘ Island Life & Nightclubbing . I love the cover of Lady Gaga‘s Mayhem. The Beatles have a bunch of great ones too.
What draws you to the contrast between glamour and darkness rather than embracing one extreme or the other?
Why limit myself! Both are beautiful. They contrast each other, as you said, which is an interesting place to explore. I don’t want to confine myself to a single aesthetic.
What do you think people are searching for when they’re drawn to your music and videos?
Oh I really don’t know. I would expect it’s the sound palette that I am drawn to and that they like the sonic quality of my voice. Alternatively, lyric people (IMO listeners are usually music people or lyric people) can also perhaps find solace in my words because they relate to them. For my videos – I’d like to think they are all either beautiful, exciting, entertaining, or clever… ideally some combo of all of the above. That is what I strive for.
You have said you both want to be a pop star and view yourself as one. What exactly does being a pop star mean to you? Is there something in particular you want to achieve in order to meet that goal?
I believe in manifestation and achieving my dreams. Be the person you want to be, so I am a star. Being a Pop Star is being the truest version of yourself and owning every aspect of your career, and being an icon. It’s different for everyone I think though. David Bowie is a Pop Star. So is Elvis, Edith Piaf, Pink Pantheress, Julian Casablancas, Daft Punk, Doja Cat, Beyoncé, etc etc. I don’t want to delve into every dream ever here, but some dreams of mine: write a legendary song that people want to sing at karaoke forever, be be someones favorite artist, create someone’s favorite album of all time, perform at the major festivals and beyond, act in movies, play all the best late night TV shows, attend the Met Gala, grace the cover of legendary magazines, perform at the Grammy’s and VH1 music video awards…. so many more! I want to be able to live well off of my art forever, doing what I love most.
Rare DM by David Rauch-Bautista (@drbmemory)
Has performing in The Bride! influenced the way you think about performing your own songs on stage or in videos?
The attention to detail / the super tight ship that was run (on such a large scale too!) solidified opinions I already had about what I want to do on stage and in videos.
Meeting Karin (Fever Ray) and having the privilege of seeing them work their magic was a highlight as well. I loved the experience and hope to act again asap. It made me want to wear even more suits also.
Have you ever considered composing an original score for a feature film or video game rather than adapting Rare DM songs?
I already scored a short film – Night of The Tilberi which I loved doing. I absolutely want to write more scores.
In the future, what do you hope people will say about Attention?
That it is “timeless”… I’d like the album to be acclaimed enough that it becomes a classic loved album of the 2020’s, and hope it ages well, like Turn on The Bright Lights did for me. In the short term I hope it gets reviewed on even more publications, warrants some words from Pitchfork (big dream tbqh!), and makes some 2026 years end lists.
Have you thought ahead to your next chapter after Attention? Do you think it will move in a new direction or continue along the same path?
Never stay stagnant! I will exit any confines of genre. TBD
What plans do you have for the future with regard to releasing new music or videos and touring?
I want to perform in South America, Asia, and Austrailla for the first time asap. Definitely tour more in general! I will have new videos and music soon!
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Thanks so much for the lovely thoughtful interview HighClouds! For any new listeners / readers, I hope to see you at a show someday and I would so thankful if you’d share my music with a friend. <3 The best way to stay up to date is my Instagram.
Catch Rare DM headlining the first night of Purple City Festival this Friday, September 11 in Edmonton, Canada.
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