Roosevelt’s ‘Young Romance’ Transcends Pop & Love

A portrayal of the temporary nature of perfect romance

After debuting his self-titled album back in 2016, Roosevelt (aka Marius Lauber) became one of the vanguards of pop/disco for his dexterity in manipulating moody ambience with groovy dance beats. Despite his hooky sound, some critics have described his style as too ‘calculated’ – which is in part true. While his first record was a banging one, you couldn’t help but feel that there were some rhythmic twists and skeletons that were formulaic. But with his latest record Young Romance, Roosevelt showcases a more free and fluid approach that breaks away from his old patterns. Like its predecessor, Young Romance is built on dancefloor-ready songs that were designed to capture the momentary yet eternal memory of young, summer romance. Lyrically, the record has the right dose between emotional introspection and cheesiness that captures the gist of blinding love:

Even the video for “Under The Sun” feels like a couture commercial that sells you the image of irresistible youth and perfect romance. But despite all this, there is a level of surrealism and moodiness to it that implies the temporary nature of perfection:

Beyond its dancefloor nature, Young Romance packs surprising moments such as “Better Days” where Roosevelt takes you on a slo-mo waltz. It’s also a treat when Washed Out joins Roosevelt in “Forgive” where the fizzling and hissing vocals of Ernest Greene takes us into a moody trance. In the exiting track, “Getaway,” Roosevelt ditches the thumping pulse and settles for a chest-swelling ambience that feels like an unexpected icing to our ears. It’s a grand exit and showcases Roosevelt’s style evolution.

Young Romance is an end-of-summer album that reminisces and celebrates relationships, but also captures an era of your life that was too good to last. Make sure to catch Roosevelt on tour this fall/winter:

Europe 2018

10/21 – Pumpehuset (Copenhagen, Denmark)

10/22 – Uebel & Gefährlich (Hamburg, Germany)

10/23 – Live Music Hall (Cologne, Germany)

10/24 – Astra (Berlin, Germany)

10/25 – Muffathalle (Munich, Germany)

10/27 – Flex (Vienna, Austria)

10/28 – Mascotte (Schlieren, Switzerland)

10/30 – Ohibo (Milan, Italy)

10/31 – Argo6 (Mestre, Italy)

11/2 – La Lune Des Pirates (Amiens, France)

11/3 – Iboat (Bordeaux, France)

11/4 – AB Club (Brussels, Belgium)

11/6 – Gaîté Lyrique (Paris, France)

11/8 – Oval Space (London, UK)

11/9 – YES (Manchester, UK)

11/16 – Sala Gotham (Madrid, Spain)

11/17 – Razzmatazz 2 (Barcelona, Spain)

11/21 – Doornroosje (Nijmegen, Netherlands)

11/22 – Melkweg (Amsterdam, Netherlands)

North America 2018

12/9 – Le Belmont Sur Le Boulevard (Montreal, Canada)

12/10 – The Mod Club (Toronto, Canada)

12/12 – Bottom Lounge (Chicago, IL, USA)

12/14 – Teragram Ballroom (Los Angeles, CA, USA)

12/15 – Constellation Room at the Observatory (Santa Ana, CA, USA)

12/16 – Soda Bar (San Diego, CA, USA)

12/18 – August Hall (San Francisco, CA, USA)

12/20 – Holocene (Portland, OR, USA)

12/21 – Neumos (Seattle, WA, USA)