Vancouver-based alt-rock duo Dear Rouge — composed of partners Drew and Danielle McTaggart — emerged in 2012 with their debut EP Heads Up! Watch Out!, followed soon thereafter with their 2015 album Black to Gold (which helped them earn the 2016 Juno Award for Breakthrough Group of the Year, and features their #3 Alt Rock charting single “I Heard I Had”). After ascending to widespread notoriety over the years, however, the band hasn’t released anything new since their 2018 record, PHASES — that is, until now.
Today, Dear Rouge presents their long-awaited comeback single, “Fake Fame,” which Glide is premiering below. The track speaks on the superficial nature of social media and life in the limelight. In totality, it’s unapologetically harsh, but extremely realistic, especially given how much the online landscape has changed over the last few years. Instrumentally, the track is quite strong as well, carved out with shimmering keys and alluring riffery.
“Stardom is alluring and fascinating,” Danielle said of the track. “It can also be toxic, destructive, and entrapping. Just before writing this song, I actually deleted all social media from my phone. It felt like a small act of rebellion against the anxiety and pressure I felt. In our digital age where anyone can blow up overnight, or one can buy followers and validation, what does notability mean? “Fake Fame” is our attempt to answer to this question. It examines our addiction to technology, social media culture, fast fashion, and the tension between desiring and despising fame.”
Despite a three-year hiatus between now and their previous releases, Dear Rouge clearly hasn’t lost their spark, with this track being as enticing, and as cutting, as ever. Their eagerly anticipated third record is due sometime in early 2022; keep your eyes peeled.
