Everything You Need to Know About Royel Otis, Their 'Linger' Cover, and What's Next

An in-depth perspective on Everything You Need to Know About Royel Otis, Their 'Linger' Cover, and What's Next, offering readers the most relevant details.

The global attention might seem overnight, but Royel Otis spent half a decade building the foundation beneath it. Royel Maddell and Otis Pavlovic were both working odd jobs around Sydney's Bondi neighborhood before linking up in 2019. They met through mutual friends, bonding over shared collections of 1980s post-punk, Swedish dream pop, and vintage psych-rock.

Their early days revolved around swapping rough voice memos and guitar sketches on back porches. They released a sequence of tightly written EPs, including Campus (2021), Bar & Grill (2022), and Sofa Kings (2023), that cemented their standing in Australia's vibrant guitar-pop ecosystem. Working closely with producer Chris Collins, they crafted sun-drenched, melancholic indie anthems like "Oyskates" and "Kool Aid," earning early airplay on triple j and inclusion on the prestigious NME 100 list.

By the time they dropped their debut full-length studio album, Pratts & Pain, in February 2024, their songwriting had expanded well beyond straightforward surf-rock. Produced in London with Dan Carey (known for his work with Fontaines D.C. and Wet Leg), the record introduced driving basslines, angular new wave percussion, and richer lyrical storytelling.