Photos by Robert Georgeff – Dear Rouge aren’t content to simply ask the lofty questions either. These finely crafted alternative tunes are a confection to the ear, but a glimpse below the surface reveals ideas and answers, while being deeply aware of our human fallibility. Record opener “Facedown” signals the immediacy of the band’s new work. Within the first minute, Danielle commands all of us, “Left to right, come on, open your mind,” a message that could be applied to a crowd at a show. Yet also every person on the current political spectrum needs to take note of her message. This isn’t blind optimism either, as she notes shortly after, “It might get a little ugly”, an inconvenient truth of trying to unify the masses. “Small Talk” asserts how the reality of the world right now has changed our needs, as we are all aching for authentic connection. We don’t have the time or space for “cheap love”. They plead outwardly for the energy to continue onward and upwards in “Gimme Spirit”.
This is an especially important plea given that the song title is the defining essence of both the band and of Danielle herself. On the aptly titled “Fake Fame”, Dear Rouge makes short work calling out the overinflated socialite influencers we see across our media. Danielle spits out “I don’t want your fake fame!” with palpable bitterness, the latter word stretching out like an elastic before snapping into a chanting chorus melody. “Heavy Hearts” is a reflection on simpler times, and all that’s been, but there is always a new beginning. We are encouraged to draw from all that is positive to gird our spirits for battle, whether that be passion, power, or faith. Tracks like “Way Down”, “Relationship Problems”, and “That’s It That’s All” beautifully articulate the complexities of anxiety, pain, and existentialism amidst simplistic melodic lines and ambient textures. The heart of the record is “Dream Dreamer”, with its pondering mantra “Born here to burn, where am I now?”, Danielle asks the listener to consider what that fire is for them.
HOTEL MIRA
