Spencer Draeger Is DRAGER

DRAGER is the sonic alter ego of Brooklyn-based artist Spencer Draeger — a one-man band, film composer, and architect of modern melancholia. What started in San Francisco playing in rock bands through his teenage years evolved into something entirely its own after Spencer moved to New York City in 2011.

Equal parts satire and sincerity, DRAGER unpacks themes of love, surveillance, and digital-age discontent with a wink and a war cry. His music distills late-night existentialism into something danceable, weaving together sardonic storytelling and cinematic tension with synth-heavy swagger.

"His new dynamic sound is an ingenious blend of old and new inspirations: the driving rhythms of late 70s punk, synth heavy pop of the 80s, and the druggy, electronic compositions of modern psych-pop." — Atwood Magazine

All recordings are 100% written, performed, produced, mixed, and mastered by Spencer in his Brooklyn studio. A proud Sequential and Eastman Guitars artist, Spencer builds his sound from the ground up with analog synthesizers and vintage instruments.

From The Midnight Hollow to DRAGER

Before DRAGER, Spencer fronted The Midnight Hollow, a celebrated psych rock band that earned a Stereogum "Band To Watch" nod and praise from Vice's Noisey, Indie Shuffle, and Paste Magazine. In 2016, during the recording of their second album with producer Jorge Elbrecht, Spencer had an excess of songs that didn't fit the band's sound. DRAGER was born as a clean slate to explore a more romantic, synth-driven direction — and quickly became the main act.

What Is Synthedelic Pop?

Spencer describes DRAGER's genre as "synthedelic pop" — a term he coined to capture the collision of analog synthesizer textures, psychedelic songwriting, and pop hooks. Think Studio 54 meets a Brooklyn basement show. The DFA scene was a major early influence, and you can hear traces of late-70s punk energy, 80s synth-pop grandeur, and modern electronic production woven throughout every track.

His debut full-length album Goths a la Discotheque was released in May 2021 on Trash Casual, followed by singles including "Wolf," "Freaks of Nature," and "The Villain You Need."