LYRIC VIDEO PREMIERES AT PURE GRAIN AUDIO

PRE-ORDER LOSS NOW

RELEASE SHOW IN THUNDER BAY ON FEBRUARY 29

Toronto, ON – January 10, 2020 – Multifarious artist, instrumentalist and producer, Jean-Paul De Roover, has announced the release of his forthcoming album, LOSS, out on February 21. To launch, the Thunder Bay, Ontario-based artist unveils the lyric video for the heavy and moving first single, Wreck, which premiered via Pure Grain Audio yesterday. Watch and listen to Wreck here, and pre-order LOSS now.

“I’m terrified about this new album. Don’t get me wrong, I’m unbelievably excited to share it with the world, but as someone that’s been known for his upbeat pop-rock-folk live-looping shows, this new album LOSS is a sharp left turn,” Jean-Paul says of the project. “Sure, it still has a lot of elements that still sound like me, but many that are very fresh. The heavy progressive lean, the anti-looping composition, the added orchestral instrumentation and the fact that I’m literally screaming on more than one song instead of relying on my most recognizable asset (my singing voice) means that I’m intentionally making myself very vulnerable and very uncomfortable. Make no mistake, there is strength and determination behind my conviction to release this album under my name instead of a pseudonym/side project, but that doesn’t make this type of risk any less scary on the inside.”

Wreck is a highly collaborative song with personal depth and connection to Jean-Paul’s community. It features group vocalists that contributed to the Indiegogo campaign that helped fund the album, and voices from those that attended the LOVE album release at Cambrian Players Theatre in Thunder Bay, ON and participated in the live group chants. The strings are comprised of layers of multiple violin parts performed by Adam Iredale-Gray (of Aerialists and Fish & Bird), with additional orchestration and arrangements by Jean-Paul.

LOSS is the sibling album to a double-project - the first is titled LOVE (released May 31, 2019). On LOSS, Jean-Paul covers the devastating hardships experienced by his friends and family. Lyrically, the songs are about different types of losses that he has either experienced or been very close to. These include the loss of a close friendship (Clench), the closing of a friends’ recording studio (Holes), loss of sanity (Wreck), the divorce of his parents (I Need), and the tragic passing of some extended family members (There’s Been An Accident). Musically, this album falls somewhere between alternative/rock/progressive featuring typical instruments (electric guitars, bass, drums) and vocals (everything from distorted metal screams to pristine choirs), but with additional instrumentation including harp, organ, electronics and orchestral arrangements for string and horn sections over the span of 12 tracks.

With LOVE, Jean-Paul covered a new marriage, new home and birth of his child. He started writing very positive songs as a personal challenge, as his music often had a darker, melancholic lyrical style that wasn’t matching up with what he was celebrating. The songs examine the theme of love in its many shapes and forms; whether it’s a song based on his wedding vows (My Heart and My Head), or a proclamation of love, will and support for his son (I’d Do Anything), family and friendship is the album’s foundation. Jean-Paul joins his wife, Shannon Lepere, for a duet with on I Can’t Sleep, with many of his talented friends appearing as guests throughout. Musically, it’s a singer/songwriter folk album with a tasteful blend of pop and rock. Listen to LOVE here.

Jean-Paul will celebrate the release through a show at Black Pirates Pub in Thunder Bay on Saturday, February 29. See below for more details.

About Jean-Paul De Roover: 

Jean-Paul De Roover’s musical upbringing was anything short of ordinary.

Inspired to play music after reading a book about a child violinist, he begged his parents to learn to play violin where he was promptly coerced into piano lessons. After two years, he was given the chance to learn violin in Pakistan where he was immediately disappointed with his progress and stopped. Moving forward to his early teens, he was gifted a handmade Bolivian guitar from the local market and self-taught himself how to play his first Beatles song. A smattering of lessons with a Brazilian jazz bass player, Dutch singer-songwriter and Chilean vocal coach encouraged De Roover to continue pursuing music, but following his own inspirations. Upon returning to Canada in 2001 he explored everything from concert band to barbershop while forming his first rock and punk bands before studying theory, composition and orchestration at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, ON where he graduated in 2009. 

“2009 was an important year for me,” De Roover remembers. “I was in the middle of nowhere, sitting in the basement of a venue after my first show on a 3-month tour in support of “Windows and Doors” (a CD/DVD that folded into a house), when I pressed ‘send,’ submitting my MA thesis to complete my Sociology degree when I realized that this - this was the moment that I became a full-time musician.”

Since then this Belgian-Canadian has toured across North America and Europe, sharing stages with artists such as the Beach Boys, Goo Goo Dolls, Said The Whale, Beardyman and more, and showcasing his work at multiple international music festivals (including Canadian Music Week and NXNE). His music and videos have also been featured on CBC, MuchMusic, reviewed in Exclaim, Earshot! and The Georgia Straight and charted on campus radio stations nationwide.

De Roover’s early career was defined by his innovative approach to music using live looping, where he used his voice and a wide range of musical instruments to construct his songs piece by piece in front of an audience. But his constantly evolving palate has seen him exploring his earnest acoustic singer-songwriter side on LOVE (2019) as well as his passion for emotionally and aurally heavy alternative and progressive rock on LOSS (2020), the two of which are sister albums. De Roover continues to push his own musical limits both in form and substance, daring others to try and categorize him. Because of this, De Roover’s music retains a distinct identity whether he is playing solo, with a band or even a 30-piece orchestra.

Even when he’s not on-stage he’s active in the music and arts communities. For over eight years, he created and coordinated festivals and events for the City of Thunder Bay, and is currently the Artistic Director for the Live From The Rock Folk Festival in Red Rock, ON. He is also a long-standing member of the three-person team at TBShows that promotes and presents music in Thunder Bay. But when he’s not performing live or parenting his toddler, De Roover can be found in his studio, Blueprints, where he not only recorded his latest two albums but also works with the music, film, and television industries as a producer, composer and engineer. 

“Despite the fact that I will always feel like a musical outsider,” comments De Roover, “I’ve certainly been embraced by Northwestern Ontario and now call it home.”

LOSS Tracklisting:

1.Cursing Daylight

2.Tepid Trepidation

3.Take It Back

4.Wreck

5.Clench

6.Glass Cliff

7.I’m In Love

8.Echoes

9.There’s Been An Accident

10.Float on Down

11.Holes

12. Need

ALBUM RELEASE SHOW:

Saturday, February 29 – Black Pirates Pub – Thunder Bay, ON

PRE-ORDER LOSS: smarturl.it/jpdrloss

Watch lyric video for Wreck: youtu.be/3rhjYoMSv2o