Troubled Waters

Louis De Roo already knows a thing or two about what life can throw at a person, yet this young Belgian songwriter is still very much on the threshold of a promising international musical career. This fall sees the release of his debut album ‘Troubled Waters’, with release shows in Brussels, Amsterdam and Berlin.

From a young age on, De Roo has always had a good nose for edgy and heavenly indie folk, and in 2015 he was among the happy few admitted to Paul McCartney’s LIPA school of arts. Walking out with a certificate and a perfect English accent a few years later, De Roo had the gift to put his emotions and soul into songs wrapped in guitars that build up at the right moment. Think: Bon Iver, Ben Howard, Asgeir and Fleet Foxes.

His debut and breakthrough single White Rose (which is not on the album) became an alternative hit in Belgium and the Netherlands, with follow-up singles Colours and Autumn Love opening doors in Germany (radioeins), France (Radio Néo) and Austria (FM4) and to trendy streaming playlists. Roux’s combination of warm indie folk and alternative rock works even better on stage, never failing to leave a crowd open-mouthed, like during a live session on German national radio (Deutschlandfunk Kultur). Impressing crowds at the Rock Werchter and Pukkelpop festivals in his home country, he did the same in the Netherlands and Germany (playing Reeperbahn three times), and supporting Dotan on his European tour in places like London, Paris and Vienna.

Now there’s debut album ‘Troubled Waters’, an indie folk album which in the hands of producer Bert Vliegen (Whispering Sons, DIRK., Meltheads) also embraces its bright and poppy side. Opening track and lead single Brotherhood is a breathtakingly beautiful piano ballad about a lost friendship. On tracks like Colours, When It Storms and Golden, Isaac Roux sounds epic, even more evident live, while tracks like Autumn Love, Reflections, U&I and Soaking Skin show his more intimate and delicate side.

Every song, and the album as a whole, gives the listener a glimpse into the life of De Roo, who hasn’t always had it easy, hoping that his music can give people in similar situations something to hold on to. “To win, to lose, to dream and to hope, they’re just some of the things that have shaped me into the person that I am today”, De Roo says. “And through my stories I hope to provide a little bit of a moral compass for people who, like me, haven’t always been treated nicely by life.”

‘Troubled Waters’ is out on 8 November, with Isaac Roux playing release shows at Privatclub in Berlin (3 December), AB Brussels (7 December) and Paradiso in Amsterdam (21 December).