Royel Otis—a cheeky guitar-pop duo from Sydney—has been making bold moves stateside.
After five years of slow and steady growth in their native Australia, members Royel Maddell and Otis Pavlovic are at that coveted stage in their careers when things are beginning to move quickly.
Before their recent 48 Hills interview, they weren’t even aware that the Bay Area dates of their international “Glory to Glory” tour—Thu/17 at The Fillmore and Fri/18 at Fox Theater—were almost sold out.
“It’s been go, go, go, so we haven’t stopped to think about any of that,” says Maddell. “We didn’t even know that they sold out. I didn’t even know we were playing San Francisco!”
Much of their recent success can be credited to their buzzy covers of Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s disco gem “Murder on the Dancefloor” and The Cranberries’ alt-rock classic “Linger.”
The longtime fans of the Ellis-Bextor track, whose cover hit No. 2 on the alternative charts, timed their release to the original’s rerelease on the 2023 Saltburn soundtrack.
Still in their mid-twenties, they demonstrate a vast knowledge of music history with artist references that date back to the ‘70s and ‘80s. They credit their families with their intergenerational music tastes.
For Pavlovic, it’s all about Fleetwood Mac, Patti Smith, the Pixies, and Violent Femmes.
“It was probably being surrounded by these bands and not appreciating them when you’re young, but then getting a bit older and realizing, ‘Oh, this stuff’s pretty cool,’” he says.
Maddell remembers drives with his dad, soundtracked by Sinead O’Connor, fellow Aussies Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and Leonard Cohen.
“It would always have a certain feeling, watching the rain on the windows drip down and reflect the traffic lights,” he says. “Every time I think of writing a song, I think of that. It just puts me in a certain place, and I want to harness that and get that through.”
Watching his own father play guitar, Pavlovic picked up the instrument, learned some simple chords, and began his performance career, busking outside convenience stores in Sydney with a friend to raise money for a surfboard.
For Maddell, getting into music was a form of therapy where he could make loud noises with instruments to drown out the existing clangor in his “wired mind.”
First joining forces as friends, the two formed a band together after Pavlovic surprised his chum with a demo he had been working on, one drunken night.
Maddell played it in the shower the next day and, wowed by his mate’s voice, knew he had found the right vocalist to sing the songs he recently wrote. Within a few months, they began uploading tracks online.
“It felt like a spark from the first moment,” says Maddell. “It’s a good mutual trust—a key element to working with someone.”
Launching in earnest in 2019, Royel Otis issued a trio of EPs in three years—2021’s Campus, 2022’s Bar N Grill, and 2023’s Sofa Kings—striking a chord with numbers like the shellfish-crazed “Oysters In My Pocket,” and the self-deprecating “Sofa King,” their first entry on the US alternative chart.
At the same time that they released their critically acclaimed debut LP, Pratts & Pain, in 2024, they generated a lot of buzz abroad with their “Murder on the Dancefloor” and “Linger” covers.
Listening to their varied catalog, it becomes apparent that Royel Otis doesn’t have a standard production formula. Experimentation is the name of their game.
It’s normal for them to oscillate between melodic, pop-inspired indie and woozy psych or from lighter to heavier subject matter on the same records.
“We try not to think about where the music is going to go next, rather just have fun with it,” Maddell says. “But we’re open to everything. Variety is the spice of life, baby.”
This year’s aptly titled Pratts & Pain is peppered with post-punk, psych-rock, indie pop, and shoegaze, not to mention an equally wide range of emotions from euphoria to despair.
“Sometimes songwriting can be therapy,” says Pavlovic. “Being honest and vulnerable is a good thing.”
“Honesty is the key, man,” Maddell adds. “Don’t be scared. Everyone goes through stuff whether they say it or not. But I reckon, ‘Just fucking run with it, man. Just talk to people.’ Sometimes thinking aloud—or writing a song about it—is the best thing.”
However, fun is always the ultimate goal when Royel Otis plays live. The members, who hope to one day collaborate with Atlanta rapper Lil Yachty, make every effort to create a convivial atmosphere at their shows.
“You’ve got to focus on having fun because having fun yourself translates to the audience,” says Maddell. “Whatever that takes, we keep that in mind.”
What the duo tries not to think about is the future, joking that down-the-road goals only include buying into Elon Musk’s next venture and playing the first-ever show on Mars.
After their last San Francisco gig, a quick and dirty spring fling at Rickshaw Stop, they didn’t have adequate time to thoroughly explore the city. They remember playing with Hayes Valley’s unofficial mascot, Casper Cockatoo, and hitting a nearby karaoke bar whose name escapes them. (My money’s on The Mint.)
They’d love to keep the buzz going this time around with a few Negronis or spicy margaritas at a local bar.
“Josh, you are so lovely, man,” Maddell says. “It’s been A-list. If we do have time, it’d be good to hang out with you, dude, and get cocktails together.”
ROYEL OTIS Thu/17, The Fillmore, SF. Tickets and more info here.
ROYEL OTIS Fri/18, Fox Theater, Oakland. Tickets and more info here.
