Dear Rouge

Formed in Vancouver in 2012, Dear Rouge brings together Danielle and Drew McTaggart, a couple both offstage and onstage, around an alternative rock sound that mixes jittery guitars, pop choruses and synth textures inherited from new wave. Before Dear Rouge, Danielle McTaggart led the projects Gaetz Ave and later Elle, while Drew McTaggart played in the band Maclean — a background that explains the duo’s balance between direct songwriting and live energy. Dear Rouge first drew attention with the EPs Heads Up! Watch Out! and Kids Wanna Know, both released in 2012, before expanding their audience with the single I Heard I Had in 2013. The first album Black To Gold came out in 2015, followed by PHASES in 2018, where Dear Rouge emphasized a more melodic and danceable side without abandoning their rock roots, then Spirit in 2022 and Lonesome High in 2024. Over the years Dear Rouge has toured Canada and the United States, shared bills with Arkells, Lights and Metric, and played festivals such as SXSW, Osheaga and Ottawa Bluesfest. In the Canadian scene, Dear Rouge occupies a distinct place between a rock duo and contemporary pop songwriting, with a trajectory marked by a steady evolution of their sound.