Over the past year and half since the release of the White Houses EP, singer/songwriter Sean Madigan Hoen disbanded the old line-up and took on an entirely new cast for his new vision (drummer Nick Marko, bassist Sean Bondareff, and guitarist Mark Victor were added). They performed only a handful of shows in 2003, working obsessively on the songs that would eventually comprise Elsewhere.

Where the old Leaving Rouge sound required stern patience from the listener and masked its poetry in walls of guitars and pianos, the new, refined sound of the band is much more stark and confident. The rich subtleties still fester beneath the melodies, but the delivery is intentionally song-based, calling to mind the college rock heyday of bands like The Smiths, old REM, or The Replacements. The Leaving Rouge ethos, however, remains intact, and their eccentric guitar lines and sullenly hopeful lyrics are still the centerpiece as the second half of the album conjures the most deeply haunting work the band has ever done done.

The band's first release, 2002's Collected Songs, was internationally praised and the first pressing sold out within months (the band has asked that it remain out of print). Elsewhere marks the first full album released by the band and their most realized work to date.