16 JULY 24-30, 2025 westword.com WESTWORD | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | LETTERS | CONTENTS | It underscores how so much joy is hard-won through self-discovery and introspection, as well as connection with friends, family and community. Another standout track is “Sumn Bout Roses,” the fi rst song Worles and Merola wrote together. It was the summer of 2021, and they weren’t yet a couple. At a jam in Denver with friends, the two stepped out for a breather, and Worles began singing what would become their song. “Sumn Bout Roses” is as intoxicating as love itself, illustrating the accompanying but- terfl ies and longings through tantalizing bossa nova rhythms that build to a crescendo that leaves you with goosebumps. While licking the wounds of past relationships, the lyrics convey the excitement and yearnings of love’s early stages, with Worles’s voice so replete with emo- tion, it’s impossible not to fall in love with the song itself. “It was kind of me being like, ‘Hey, I kind of have feelings for you,’” Worles recalls. “I could tell what you were saying,” Merola says with a sly smile. “I was like, ‘Okay, you crushin’.’” The moniker DOGTAGS also carries meaning, though the two picked it on a whim. Worles had just adopted a puppy, and when the partners listened to a jam session that Merola had recorded on his phone, all they could hear was jingling dog tags. “It just stuck. Now, it’s become a metaphor,” Worles says. “You know, like the regular dog tags are worn to tell people who you belong to, and that’s sort of what the band is about: Who you belong to, who your people are, who you love, and how to fi nd each other even when you’re lost.” Since forming and expanding, the band has become a vessel for the community, always acting in a DIY spirit since its inception. “From 2021 to 2023, we were really taking any gig we could,” Merola recalls. They had per- formed at Enigma Bazaar, the now-defunct Denver venue known for its colorful aesthetic and DIY shows, and landed a residency there from June through August 2023. “We were trying to do this thing we called Puppy Chow,” Worles says. “We’d have an opener who we really admire, then we’d have us, and then we’d do a jam afterward together.” “It started to become a centerpiece to the community,” Merola adds. “Having monthly shows there was really interesting.” The band also became part of the Youth on Record 2023 fellowship program, where the members learned more about the in- dustry and applied to perform at the Un- derground Music Showcase, which the nonprofi t had just bought into. After UMS, DOGTAGS signed with local agency Future Garden, which also manages artists Neoma and N3ptune, and headlined Dazzle when the jazz club was located in the Baur’s build- ing. “We were hanging out with [Future Garden] a bunch while we were separately trying to fi gure out, ‘What is the goal? Like, what do we want to do?’” Worles says. “So we landed on wanting to write an album.” Taking so much time to compose the LP was worth it. ROSEWORLD is an album you listen to all the way through, with no stops. Each song blends into the next while also standing out on its own, constructing a bril- liantly cohesive experience for listeners. The attention to detail is high — every instrument has its perfect place in the rhythms, showcas- ing the band’s penchant for collaboration. It’s a collective effort, and DOGTAGS has fostered a family-like atmosphere with its members. They’re all looking forward to UMS. “We are really approaching it like, How do we take this album we’ve created and bring it to life?” Worles says. “We’ve got these big fl owers, all these different props to decorate. ... I’m hope- ful we’ll get to bring that to as many people as possible throughout the summer and fall. And we’re already scheming another album.” A storm cloud is almost overhead, and a smattering of rain is hitting Cheesman Park. But Merola and Worles are all sunshine as we part ways. “I do truly feel blessed and grateful to have gotten this far,” Merola says. “There were times in my life when I really wasn’t sure if I was go- ing to live this long. So to be here now, and to be doing what we’re doing in Colorado, and being able to escape Colorado and play our music somewhere else, too, is really, really awesome.” DOGTAGS plays UMS 5:35 p.m. Friday, July 25, and 2:00 p.m. Sunday, July 27, at the Get Loud Stage; tickets are available at undergroundmu- sicshowcase.com. Learn more about the band at dogtagsmusic.com. DOGTAGS performed at Electric Forest in June. Music continued from page 15 JACKSON DAVIS
