Dear Rouge

Ever wondered what it feels like to ascend to a sonic summit? Brace yourself for the answers as powerhouse duo Dear Rouge release their latest record Lonesome High, ready to sweep you away into a realm of rock music that fully embodies the band’s longtime mantra of “grit and gloss”. There is substance in the vulnerability revealed on the record, as they lean hard into the expression of the human experience. From the feedback of amps turning on at the top of the record, to the comedown ballad of the closing title track, each song on Lonesome High is a testament to Dear Rouge’s dedication to crafting a sound that’s simultaneously timeless and cutting-edge. It’s a pulse-quickening ride through throw-your-hands up punk songs, the tastemaker tracks of the indie renaissance, and stadium-sized anthems, all the while being thoroughly Dear Rouge at its core: biting, gut-wrenching, but always hopefully optimistic.

The soul of Lonesome High draws inspiration from the melancholic beauty of “high lonesome” bluegrass music. The genre is rooted in deeply emotional lamentations about love lost, interpersonal tensions, and the weight of unwanted social and cultural changes, serving as the emotional bedrock for Dear Rouge’s latest auditory odyssey. Lonesome High is a representation of life overall, with its highs and lows, and so it has a more relational, more vulnerable sound. The duo had ventured into the depths of their struggles on their previous release Spirit, a record that was deeply seated in the struggles of personal hardship, worldwide uncertainty, and fighting to keep your head above water. “Now it is time to get to the joy as we come through the shadows,” Danielle shared. “Continuing in the vein of “Gimme Spirit”, it’s a vibe of things getting better. Fighting your goons, achieving your dreams, and making the world better as you do so.” For the listener, there is a feeling of coming through a long hard journey. It is written from a place of happiness but remembering what you’ve come through; the pathway from the shores of suffering, up to the mountaintop of joy.

In every note and lyric, you’ll find echoes of the timeless struggles and triumphs that have defined this bluegrass tradition. It’s a dynamic world, one that Danielle and Drew McTaggart used to channel the spirit of rock’n’roll. The duo took elements that have surfaced over the band’s career and honed it into a snapshot of their sound. “We can’t help but be ourselves,” Drew says unapologetically. But Danielle assures us that they do not want to be “a banging gong, adding to the noise around us all”. Dear Rouge’s music is about a sharing of hearts, and in doing so, adding to the beauty and openness in our life. “We want to have fun while we deal with substance,” she says with a laugh. Lonesome High is Dear Rouge’s most condensed record to date as it was written and recorded in under a year while touring its predecessor, with the band returning to the studio in between festival dates over the summer months. In the studio, Dear Rouge collaborated with acclaimed producer Gus van Go, known for his recent work with The Beaches and Metric, at the esteemed Giant Studios in Toronto. The city’s electric energy and eclecticness served as the ideal inspirational backdrop for the duo, adding life to the record’s most vibrant moments.

With a career that has already seen many “peaks” over it’s trajectory, including winning a Juno Award, countless radio hits, and playing alongside some of the biggest names in music, Lonesome High is a record that focuses on the electric energy of Dear Rouge’s live performances. It highlights Danielle’s magnetic presence and Drew’s masterful guitar work. Each note of the record is a declaration of independence, beckoning listeners to join Dear Rouge on a heady journey through life’s trials and triumphs.