It’s lower case all round as one of our favourite rapscallions, Royel Otis, announce the release of their second album ‘hickey’ for release on Friday 22 August via OURNESS / Capitol Records, and provide a tempting appetiser in the form of single ‘car’.
‘car’ has been co-written by Royel Otis (Royel Maddell and Otis Pavlovic) with writer/producers Blake Slatkin (Gracie Abrams, Omar Apollo) and Omer Fedi (Lil Nas X, the Kid LAROI), and has the trademark touch of endearing whimsy so associated with this band.
Starting off with a motorik beat, the track is themed on a painful farewell and infused with a yearning melancholia:
Yeah I’ll meet you at the car on the corner, but we know it’s gotta change sometime / You know I love the taste of your water, but I think it’s time to say goodbye.
The soaring chorus is indelible and euphoric over a sparse guitar thrum, the vocals distinctive and heartfelt. The accompanying video captures the due performing and traipsing about at night with their charming enigmatic presence shining through:
You can download and stream the single here.
Speaking to the album’s title, Royel Otis shared:
…because love bites harder than any other emotion in the world.
You can pre-order the album here.
Having followed this band closely since featuring early single ‘Oysters in My Pocket’ back in 2022, reviewed their stunning debut album ‘Pratts & Pain’ released early last year and covered their dynamic live shows, it is a hotly anticipated release here at the antipodean offices of Backseat Mafia.
To celebrate the upcoming release of ‘hickey’, Royel Otis will return to Australia in July for a pair of stripped back pub shows in both Melbourne on Saturday, 19 July at the Punter’s Club and Sydney on Sunday 20 July at Vic on The Park. Fans who pre-order ‘hickey’ from the Royel Otis’ Australian Store and enter here will go into the running to win a double pass to the exclusive shows.
Feature Photograph: Alex Wall
