Watch the throne: Royel Otis are taking things to the next level
Their original brand of laid-back indie pop has made them a favourite of local crowds. But with a headline tour kicking off next month, a new single in the works and some high-profile UK festival dates on the way, Australian duo Royel Otis appears poised to take things to the next level.
It is Royel Otis’s first day off in weeks, and the duo should probably be relaxing. Instead, it’s being spent here, on a GQ shoot. But at least they get to enjoy a break from travelling or touring or doing both, which is what they’ve been consumed with for so long now that no one can really remember when they started.
“We got back from London at the beginning of April,” says Royel Maddell of their recent travel schedule. “But that feels so long ago to me because we’ve played so many shows since then. And now it’s May already. Is it May? It’s all blurring.”
Things have moved fast since Maddell, he of the pink hair, and bandmate Otis Pavlovic first met in 2019. Their debut EP Campus was released in 2020 under independent label OURNESS, run by their manager and co-producer, Andrew Klippel. “We released a song called ‘Oysters in My Pocket’ and that really did things for us,” says Pavlovic of the upbeat debut track’s success. “We weren’t even going to release it as a single and then our manager was like, ‘I reckon we should release this first’.”
It was the right call. The song is closing in on 18 million streams on Spotify, which named the band part of its Radar global emerging artist program for 2023. Two subsequent EPs, including this year’s acclaimed Sofa Kings, have solidified Royel Otis’s original brand of guitar-driven indie pop, which brings to mind the youthful nostalgia of The Go-Betweens and the dreaminess of Tame Impala, but in a way that feels entirely their own.
“We’ve got to a point where we can really hone in on what we want to sound like,” says Pavlovic, who was raised on a musical diet of Pixies, New Order and Violent Femmes. “The previous stuff we’ve done, a lot of it I like, but it wasn’t exactly what I wanted to be doing. Being a duo and figuring stuff out together, it takes a while to get to a point where you are both doing what you want to be doing.”
They’re also finding their feet on stage. Pavlovic recalls the early shows were tough, especially for Maddell, who was often physically sick with anxiety before gigs. He has found that opting not to show his face in photos has helped, and on stage often retreats behind his curtain of pink hair. “I might not even be the real Royel,” he jokes of the fact no one can actually vouch for his appearance. “I can just send in someone who’s got long hair.”
A hectic touring schedule recently saw Royel Otis play the Groovin’ the Moo festival while also supporting indie legends alt-J. “That was 12 shows in the last two weeks,” says Pavlovic of the pace that has helped build a devoted local fan base.
“One girl saw us in Sydney and then went to Melbourne to watch us two more times,” says Maddell. “It’s also the first time that people have started recognising us. When we got to the airport, the lady checking us in knew us. And on the flight, the attendant pulled out the alcohol drawer and was like, ‘Take whatever you want!’.”
And with a national tour kicking off next month, a new single on the way, and a series of UK dates on the horizon, including the big-name-heavy Reading and Leeds Festivals, the pair will no doubt have plenty of time to enjoy the perks of the rock’n’roll lifestyle. But first, they might just need to catch up on some sleep.
Jake Millar is GQ Australia’s editorial director.
A version of this story originally appeared in the June/July 2023 issue of GQ Australia, available exclusively in The Australian June 23, with the title “Royel Flourish”
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Photography by Joe Brennan
Styling by Miguel Urbina Tan and Kaila Matthews
Hair by Rory Rice
Grooming by Mikele Simone
Set styling by Anja Brown