Journeying into the Chaos: A Look into Rare DM's "The Ring"

Leading the listener into the shadows, Rare DM’s new single “The Ring” adeptly blends coldwave, minimal techno, and electroclash to deliver a haunting track that lingers long after the final note fades.

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Stream: “The Ring” – Rare DM

No one creates atmospheric tracks as masterfully as Rare DM, the musical project spearheaded by Erin Hoagg.

Since her debut in 2017, she has carved a niche for herself in the New York City underground, gaining recognition for both her evocative post-punk, bloghouse tracks and her hypnotic live performances. Her latest release, “The Ring,” takes her music to a darker place than ever before.

While she is no stranger to vulnerability in her work, this time, Hoagg takes her audience by the hand, leading them into the black.

I’ve got a book of matches
You’ve got a VCR
Handwritten note in blood
You’ve got a scar

Between the propulsive bass line and eerie synths, “The Ring” is as unsettling as the horror film of the same name. The track balances the industrial harshness of electroclash with the atmospheric melodies of EBM, and just as the listener has a chance to settle in, Hoagg’s voice enters: “Don’t get caught in the ring — you’ll regret it.” Her voice floats over the instrumental, jaded and disembodied, narrating what she has lived through and what is to come—a ghost imparting a lesson. There is confidence in what she says, but what has she done to make her so certain?

At its core, the track is a tragedy.

“‘The Ring’ is a journey into the chaos you created by trying to make things better,” Hoagg explains.

“It is about a misunderstanding – did you make things worse by addressing it in the first place? You tried to fix it, and now it’s even more messed up. Who is the real enemy now?”

As she guides the listener through the song, Hoagg emphasizes the difficulty of undoing her mistakes, yet the situation seems decided, perhaps against her will. It is an interpersonal horror story.

Don’t know how I noticed
Must be hypervigilance
I’ll keep on over-analyzing it

This is no accident. “The Ring” draws heavily from the 2002 American remake of the Japanese horror film Ringu, which has since become a cult classic. In the film, the protagonist discovers a cursed VHS tape that predicts the viewer’s death seven days after watching it. The characters of the film do everything in their power to stop the curse, but death is inevitable. Their naive actions create irreversible consequences, much like the situation depicted in Rare DM’s song.

Hoagg has set something in motion, and the resulting spiral cannot be stopped. The anxiety in the track hinges on Hoagg’s regret and the moment you realize you’ve opened a door that can never be closed.

Tried to destroy it
Tried to burn it
Throw it away
7 days

The music video for the single adds to the distorted landscape Hoagg is creating. She sprawls across the seats of cars speeding through the night and stalks through the darkest corners of a forest.

“In the video, I am the driver, doing the chasing, being chased, in the passenger seat, and getting lost in the woods. It’s confusing,” she admits.

“Just as the situation behind the song was. It’s not some resolved, buttoned-up thing – not a friend you cut off or a lover you stopped seeing. Something cloudy and more sinister.”

There is a sense that something is creeping up on you as you watch, but as red and green lights illuminate her face, you are left wondering whether it is some otherworldly evil, as in the film, or perhaps the musician herself. You feel compelled to keep listening, trying to piece together a narrative, yet you’ll never get all the answers – and that’s exactly the point.

While electronic music has become more accessible and digestible than ever before, there is something stark about Rare DM.

Her work is introspective and visceral, imbuing danceable beats with an unsettling quality that will have the listener looking over their shoulder even as they enjoy themselves. Hoagg approaches with the force of a bad omen, offering not closure, but a warning, compelling you to confront the subtle dread that seeps into her lyrics.

Despite the commanding suspense of the track, “The Ring” serves as an exciting glimpse of what lies ahead for Hoagg.

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