DEAR ROUGE

MAIN STAGE
SATURDAY, AUGUST 16 • 5:30PM
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA
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 previously ventured into the depths of their struggles on 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.