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.

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Dear Rouge Website

Opener: Larkk

Danielle McTaggart is an artist in transformation. Best known as the powerhouse voice behind the Canadian Juno Award-winning duo Dear Rouge, she has spent years captivating audiences
with electrifying performances and chart-topping alternative hits. Now, with her new project Larkk, McTaggart steps into an intimate, introspective space—one that trades the high-energy
pulse of indie rock for the raw, poetic vulnerability of indie folk-tinged, atmospheric songwriting.

Larkk was born from Danielle McTaggart’s desire for deeper artistic exploration. Drawing from life’s most raw and vulnerable experiences, McTaggart channels emotion into a richly textured
and expressive sound. After years of touring with acclaimed acts like Metric, Phantogram, and The Beaches, she felt a pull to connect on a more personal level—with herself and with listeners. What began as an inward journey of healing became Larkk: a project where the music found her as much as she found it. Now, through Larkk, Danielle offers a bold and honest expression of emotion, inviting others into that same space of reflection and connection.

The story of Larkk unfolded in a beautifully organic way. For years, Danielle McTaggart quietly wrote music on a small upright piano in her remote cabin in Western Canada—sculpting the
bones of each song and carefully shaping the emotional intent behind them. It was an intimate, solitary process rooted in reflection and honesty. Eventually, she reached out to poet Derrick C. Brown, whose lyrical depth and raw vulnerability felt like the perfect complement to her vision. Their collaboration became the final piece in bringing the songs to life, completing the emotional arc she had been crafting for so long.

Brown, known for his powerful and surreal poetry, has been praised by NPR and The New York Times and has toured with artists like David Cross, Cold War Kids, The Afghan Whigs, and Eugene Mirman.

The recording process of her nine song debut Cinders was deeply personal, unfolding in intimate sessions where McTaggart brought her vision to life alongside a team of collaborators, including producer Thomas D’Arcy (Whitehorse, Neko Case, The Sheepdogs). McTaggart’s haunting piano performances, mixed in with her ethereal vocals create a lush yet delicate soundscape where each song feels like a whispered confession, blending Phoebe Bridgers-esque storytelling with the cinematic depth of Big Thief and Weyes Blood.

For Danielle McTaggart, Larkk exists in the space between the past and the future—an evolution of both sound and spirit. It’s more than a new chapter; it’s the creation of an entirely new
language of storytelling. With Larkk, McTaggart weaves together music, movement, painting, poetry, and expansive artistic expression—each element intertwining to capture the beauty and ache of being human. It’s a deeply immersive world where emotion drives form, and vulnerability becomes a powerful source of connection.