His first project was Beat!Beat!Beat!, an indie teenage band where he was the drummer. Years later the band separated and he became a soloist.
He then released his acclaimed debut EP 'Elliot' in 2013. The lead single 'Elliot' was named as Pitchfork's 'Best New Track'. Roosevelt then released the double-A side 'Night Moves/Hold On' in 2015 on Greco-Roman which continued a warm synth-pop, Balearic-influenced sound.
In April 2016, he announced his self-titled debut album, set for release on August 19, 2016 on Greco-Roman/City Slang, with the video for tracks "Colours" and "Moving On".
He has remixed the likes of Glass Animals, Jax Jones, Truls, Sundara Karma, Luka Vasta and Kakkmaddafakka, and on tour has supported Hot Chip, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs and Crystal Fighters.
In June 2018, he announced a second album 'Young Romance', it was released on September 28, 2018. The first single from this album 'Under The Sun' was released on June 27, 2018.
In March 2019, he released 'Falling Back' and a cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Everywhere" on W Records. The next year, 'Everywhere' was featured in We Bare Bears: The Movie.
On 10 June 2020, Roosevelt released the single Sign, which was the first original material since his sophomore album Young Romance. Roosevelt went on to release another four singles (Echoes, Feels Right, Strangers & Lovers) before his third studio album, 'Polydans', which was released on 26 February 2021.
In July 2023, he announced a fourth album, 'Embrace', scheduled to be released on 22 September 2023. Four singles were released beforehand; Ordinary Love, Luna, Paralyzed, Rising.
Forgive
Roosevelt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Keep wasting all my time
Holding back
All this time I knew you were going behind my back
I'm done
It's too late to turn around
Your mistakes keep coming back
You think you'd notice and know that it's over
You're far too blind to see
All this time
Out here waiting all alone
To make it right, I'm lost
Are we regressing? Are we in love?
It's so hard to say when you're never around
You keep on saying we'll be alright
It's just a lesson we need to learn
Can't keep expressing
You're breaking my heart
It's so depressing how bad it hurts
I keep on waiting for it to stop
I think it's too late now
I'm stuck
It's too late to turn around
Your mistakes keep coming back (here it is)
Can't face you one more time
It's too late this time
The song "Forgive" by Roosevelt Washed Out is about the end of a relationship. The lyrics suggest frustration and heartache, with the singer acknowledging their partner's infidelity and realizing that it's too late for forgiveness. The line "It's way too late to forgive and forget" highlights the finality of the situation, as does the repetition of the phrase "It's too late this time." The singer seems to feel that they have been waiting too long for their partner to change, and that they can no longer tolerate their behavior.
The chorus suggests that the relationship has been on a downward spiral for some time, and that the singer is unsure whether they are regressing or still in love. The line "It's so hard to say when you're never around" implies that the partner has not been present in the relationship, emotionally or physically. Despite this, the partner continues to make promises that everything will be alright, but the singer has lost faith in their ability to make things work.
In the end, the singer decides that they can no longer face their partner, who keeps making the same mistakes over and over again. The phrase "Can't keep expressing, you're breaking my heart" suggests that the singer has tried to communicate their feelings to their partner but has not seen any change. The repeated line "It's too late to turn around" reinforces the idea that the relationship has reached its end, and that the singer is ready to move on.
Line by Line Meaning
It's way too late to forgive and forget
It's impossible to let go of what you've done
Keep wasting all my time
You keep causing me pain and wasting my precious time
Holding back
I'm holding back my emotions and not letting myself be vulnerable to you again
All this time I knew you were going behind my back
I always knew you were betraying me, but I gave you the benefit of the doubt
I'm done
I've had enough and I'm not going to put up with it anymore
You think you'd notice and know that it's over
You should have realized that we're through by now
You're far too blind to see
You're oblivious to the fact that our relationship is over
Out here waiting all alone
I'm waiting for an apology or a sign that you care, but you're not coming
To make it right, I'm lost
I don't know how to fix this, and I'm lost without you
Are we regressing? Are we in love?
I'm not sure if our relationship is improving or deteriorating
It's so hard to say when you're never around
It's difficult to assess our relationship when you're constantly absent
You keep on saying we'll be alright
You're not acknowledging the problems in our relationship and are brushing them off with empty promises
It's just a lesson we need to learn
You're downplaying the severity of our issues and acting like they're just minor bumps in the road
Can't keep expressing
I can no longer keep telling you how much you're hurting me
You're breaking my heart
Your actions and behavior are crushing my soul
It's so depressing how bad it hurts
Your actions are causing me immense pain and sadness
I keep on waiting for it to stop
I'm waiting for the pain and suffering to cease, but it feels never-ending
I think it's too late now
I believe our relationship has reached a point of no return
It's too late to turn around
There's no going back and fixing what's already been destroyed
Your mistakes keep coming back (here it is)
Your previous transgressions keep resurfacing and causing problems in our relationship
Can't face you one more time
I refuse to confront you again and deal with your hurtful actions
It's too late this time
Our relationship has reached its breaking point and can no longer be salvaged
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: Marius Lauber
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@IAmRooseveltMusic
North American / European Live Dates for 2023!
Tickets at iamroosevelt.com
September 21 – Santa Ana, CA – Observatory OC
September 22 – Las Vegas, NV – Life is Beautiful Festival
September 23 – Santa Barbara, CA – Soho Theater
September 25 – San Francisco, CA – The Independent
September 26 – San Francisco, CA – The Independent
September 28 – Los Angeles, CA – The Novo
September 29 – Santa Cruz, CA – Catalyst
September 30 – San Luis Obispo, CA – Fremont Theater
October 3 – Sacramento, CA – Goldfield Trading Post
October 5 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom
October 6 – Seattle, WA – Showbox
October 7 – Vancouver, BC – Vogue Theatre
October 9 – Boise, ID – Treefort Music Hall
October 10 – Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge
October 12 – Denver, CO – Gothic Theater
October 13 – Boulder, CO – Boulder Theater
October 14 – Ft Collins, CO – Aggie Theatre
October 16 – El Paso, TX – Lowbrow Palace
October 17 – Santa Fe, NM – Meow Wolf
October 19 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall
October 20 – Austin, TX – Emo’s
October 21 – Dallas, TX – Studio At The Factory
October 23 – Oklahoma City, OK – Beer City Music Hall
October 24 – Des Moines, IA – Wooly’s
October 26 – Minneapolis, MN – Amsterdam Bar & Hall
October 27 – Chicago, IL – Vic Theatre
October 28 – Indianapolis, IN – HI-FI Annex
October 30 – Nashville, TN - Exit/In
October 31 – Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall
November 2 – Detroit, MI – Majestic Theatre
November 3 – Toronto, ON – Danforth Music Hall
November 4 – Buffalo, NY - Town Ballroom
November 6 – Pittsburgh, PA – Thunderbird
November 7 – Philadelphia, PA – Brooklyn Bowl
November 9 – New York, NY – Brooklyn Steel
November 10 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
November 11 – Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club
November 13 – Richmond, VA – The Broadberry
November 14 – Charleston, SC – Music Farm
November 15 – Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse
November 17 – Mexico City, MX – Corona Capital Festival
December 1 – Hamburg, DE - Fabrik
December 2 – Brussels, BE - Botanique Orangerie
December 3 – Utrecht, NL - TivoliVredenburg
December 4 – Paris, FR - Cabaret Sauvage
December 6 – London, UK - Electric Brixton
December 7 – Manchester, UK - New Century
December 9 – Cologne, DE - Live Music Hall
December 10 – Berlin, DE - Kesselhaus
December 12 – Wiesbaden, DE - Schlachthof
December 13 – Barcelona, ES - Sala Apolo
December 14 – Madrid, ES - Lula Club (Jaguar)
December 16 – Istanbul, TR - Zorlu PSM
@IAmRooseveltMusic
North American / European Live Dates for 2023!
Tickets at iamroosevelt.com
September 21 – Santa Ana, CA – Observatory OC
September 22 – Las Vegas, NV – Life is Beautiful Festival
September 23 – Santa Barbara, CA – Soho Theater
September 25 – San Francisco, CA – The Independent
September 26 – San Francisco, CA – The Independent
September 28 – Los Angeles, CA – The Novo
September 29 – Santa Cruz, CA – Catalyst
September 30 – San Luis Obispo, CA – Fremont Theater
October 3 – Sacramento, CA – Goldfield Trading Post
October 5 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom
October 6 – Seattle, WA – Showbox
October 7 – Vancouver, BC – Vogue Theatre
October 9 – Boise, ID – Treefort Music Hall
October 10 – Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge
October 12 – Denver, CO – Gothic Theater
October 13 – Boulder, CO – Boulder Theater
October 14 – Ft Collins, CO – Aggie Theatre
October 16 – El Paso, TX – Lowbrow Palace
October 17 – Santa Fe, NM – Meow Wolf
October 19 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall
October 20 – Austin, TX – Emo’s
October 21 – Dallas, TX – Studio At The Factory
October 23 – Oklahoma City, OK – Beer City Music Hall
October 24 – Des Moines, IA – Wooly’s
October 26 – Minneapolis, MN – Amsterdam Bar & Hall
October 27 – Chicago, IL – Vic Theatre
October 28 – Indianapolis, IN – HI-FI Annex
October 30 – Nashville, TN - Exit/In
October 31 – Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall
November 2 – Detroit, MI – Majestic Theatre
November 3 – Toronto, ON – Danforth Music Hall
November 4 – Buffalo, NY - Town Ballroom
November 6 – Pittsburgh, PA – Thunderbird
November 7 – Philadelphia, PA – Brooklyn Bowl
November 9 – New York, NY – Brooklyn Steel
November 10 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
November 11 – Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club
November 13 – Richmond, VA – The Broadberry
November 14 – Charleston, SC – Music Farm
November 15 – Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse
November 17 – Mexico City, MX – Corona Capital Festival
December 1 – Hamburg, DE - Fabrik
December 2 – Brussels, BE - Botanique Orangerie
December 3 – Utrecht, NL - TivoliVredenburg
December 4 – Paris, FR - Cabaret Sauvage
December 6 – London, UK - Electric Brixton
December 7 – Manchester, UK - New Century
December 9 – Cologne, DE - Live Music Hall
December 10 – Berlin, DE - Kesselhaus
December 12 – Wiesbaden, DE - Schlachthof
December 13 – Barcelona, ES - Sala Apolo
December 14 – Madrid, ES - Lula Club (Jaguar)
December 16 – Istanbul, TR - Zorlu PSM
@EVPpsycho
It is mind blowing to me; the fact that so many people are underwhelmed by this song. I can't think of anything in the world I would add or take away from it. This song is perfect to me in every way, and the fact that Washed out and Roosevelt worked together on a single project makes me so happy.
@burritogamer3984
Holy shit Washed Out + Roosevelt?! dream collaboration
@janiehernandez5412
I need friends who like listening to this type of music.
@geoff421
New Washed Out is really good
@rem_ruata8797
How bout Yumi Zouma??
@aramysm7825
Hi friend
@schneeeule7614
dear friend, wish u a good time. love your music. r u really german? gruss vom norden🧞♂️
@Mercilesman
We here
@mdkingg
Roosevelt gives me some kind of self confidence. In their blurry songs i feel stronger and authentic