Royel Otis are cool with enjoying life one wave at a time. The Australian guitar-pop duo made up of 20-somethings Royel Maddell and Otis Pavlovic have been on a meteoric rise in the past year with a few EP jams (‘Motels’, ‘Kool Aid’), a midsummer setup single (‘Oysters In My Pocket’) spiralling into blissed-out versions of The Cranberries’ ‘Linger’ and Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s ‘Murder On The Dancefloor’, and close to half a billion streams of their entire catalogue.
Their debut album, ‘Pratts & Pain’ (out now via Ourness), is merely a vignette of their pop-inspired heartache but it’s one that magnifies imperfections with tones you’d expect to find in the aisles of Amoeba Music. If you say you haven’t heard Royel Otis’ cover of Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s “Murder On The Dancefloor”, you’re lying. The Live A Version performance went global, amassing millions of views and garnering the duo a fresh batch of fans. Top that off with eight ARIA nominations and the success of their second album, “Pratts & Pain”, and you’ll start to understand why 2024 was such a stellar year for Royel Otis.
‘Pratts & Pain’ recorded alongside producer Dan Carey (Wet Leg, Foals, Fontaines D.C.), isn’t a concept project. In fact, the sophomore album touches on a number of themes, according to the duo themselves: love, fights, being young and a bit stupid. Despite switching the salty air and sunshine of Bondi for the cold of London, the feel of summer is present all the way throughout the indie record – most notably in “Sofa King”, a cheeky play on words. A sense of fun reigns supreme in ‘Pratts & Pain’ even in “Big Ciggie”, where death is the main topic of conversation, the upbeat track takes an almost jester-like approach.
There’s a reason Royel Otis won Best Group and Best Rock Album at this year’s ARIAs. They deserved it. “It will be easy to remember exactly where you were when you first heard this project. Think skin mottled with sweat and the aftertaste of an alcohol-inspired kiss on your breath; a beautifully warm sunset as the sun tucks itself away under the dashboard of your first car; a little bit of heartbreak – but Royel Otis promise to help you get through it.”
The Fat Angel Sings 