The group includes founding member and guitarist/vocalist Murray Lightburn and vocalist/pianist Natalia Yanchak, the husband and wife duo have remained at the helm since its formation in the 90s. After The Dears released their debut album in 2000, they quickly amassed a loyal following and received praise from critics and fans alike. Entitled End Of A Hollywood Bedtime Story, the album caught the attention of music fans and The Dears were placed at the forefront of a resurgence of popularity for Indie rock in Canada. The group’s recent release marked their eighth studio album, Lovers Rock was released in 2020 and was met with critical acclaim and rave reviews.

On tour this fall… https://t.co/j5lKBfM252

— Natalia Yanchak (@nataliayanchak) May 20, 2022

The band had initially planned to tour in support of Lovers Rock two years ago but due to COVID and the subsequent lockdowns, they were forced to postpone any live performances of its material.  Speaking in a press release, Yanchak has given the following statement, “After all this time, the re-re-scheduling of tour dates and the re-re-re-anticipation of playing shows — it’s a little hard to believe these shows are finally going to happen. We originally released ‘Lovers Rock’ in 2020. It was an album we were, and are still, very proud of. So it was hard to put out a record and then not play a single one of those songs live. We did a streaming show, but it’s just not the same as being in the same sweaty club, all together.”

The album saw Lightburn and Yanchak work with long-time drummer Jeff Luciani, guitarist Steve Raegele and bassist Remi-Jean LeBlanc. Along with a full-string section, Lovers Rock features E Street Band’s Jake Clemons and Alex Francoeur on saxophone. Also included in the album is Sam Roberts, the fellow Montréal-based musician also known for his work within Canada’s indie rock scene.

Lightburn gives the following statement concerning the group, “The Dears aren’t fucking around, We don’t have time to waste. We’ve got a job to do. And we’re going to do it. 20 years ago, I knew I had a sound in my head, but I didn’t know how to get that down. Now I know how to get that sound. The question we’re asking in the music is, ‘how do we navigate so much bullshit in this world?’, We’re still playing this dumb rock music. But there’s always gonna be a little twist of the knife, cutting into something deep to make you feel like you’re alive. To say, ‘I know what you’re going through. And I’m hearing you, and I’m with you.’ That’s what the music is supposed to do.”

The Dears’ six-date UK tour kicks off on 30th September 2022 with a set at Cambridge’s Portland Arms, the band will then play Liverpool’s Zanzibar on 1st October 2022. After a set in Manchester on 4th October 2022, the group will perform in the capital at Highbury’s The Garage with support from Perfect Son. The tour concludes with a performance at Bristol’s Exchange on 6th October 2022, click here to purchase tickets.

The Dears UK tour dates

30/09/2022 – Portland Arms – Cambridge
01/10 – Zanzibar – Liverpool
02/10 – Hug & Pint – Glasgow
04/10 – Deaf Institute – Manchester
05/10 – The Garage – London
06/10 – Exchange – Bristol

Photo Credit: Misael Hiram

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ICYMI LOVER⚡️ ROCK is out NOW linkinbio go get it bb

A post shared by The Dears (@thedears) on May 18, 2020 at 9:14am PDT

To tide fans over, this announcement comes with an acoustic version of the final track on the album, ‘We’ll Go Into Hiding’. This is definitely one of the highlights of Loves Rock, with its optimism that is simultaneously urgent and cautious; The Dears make you believe that the stakes are high as the album experience comes to an end. It’s a difficult tone to get right but as they’ve got it right, it makes a fantastic conclusion to Lovers Rock (in fact, it’s the song that the album takes its title from).

The acoustic video is a stripped back affair with just Lightburn and Yanchak in the studio. It starts out slow and soulful with Lightburn as the only one singing, and then Yanchak comes in on the piano and everything crescendos through to the end – it’s thrilling. An acoustic video is not quite a UK tour, but it’s a great gift from the band.

The rest of Lovers Rock shares the same vibe, but every song tries something new. Blues, grunge and folk were all words that came to mind during its wide-ranging ten tracks. The first few songs feel like rock, and there’s a distinctive guitar sound and poetry in the lyrics. Hearing Lightburn sing “I know what you’re thinking and it’s awful” is chillingly perceptive. Then track four, ‘Is This Really What You Want?’ starts to slow the pace a little.

A little later, the piano moment half way through ‘The Worst of Us’ is unlike anything else that’s come before it. The album cover of Lovers Rock gives a sense of space that doesn’t necessarily inform the lyrics, but it is always present. ‘The Worst of Us’ feels like sci-fi.

You could name any number of artists that Lovers Rock seems to be a bit reminiscent of, but only in fleeting moments – it’s a bit Radiohead for ten seconds, a bit Leonard Cohen for just a minute. Really, it’s not like anything I’ve ever heard before. Despite the vast range of musical styles that you can trace throughout the ten tracks, it’s completely consistent and by the last, urgent lines of ‘We’ll Go Into Hiding’ you feel like you completely get it.

It’ll be a little while before we can see these remarkable songs played live, but the 2021 tour dates are below for you to get excited about! Just by chance, it feels like an album that’s completely relevant. They themselves promise that “the Dears will look to take to the road again, and bring solace to heal our collective wounds.”

06/04/2021 – The Garage – London
23/11 – Exchange – Bristol
24/11 – Clwb Ifor Bach – Cardiff
25/11 – Leaf – Liverpool
26/11 – Drygate Theatre – Glasgow
27/11 – Deaf Institute – Manchester
28/11 – Portland Arms – Cambridge