Given their tasty single ‘Oysters In My Pocket’ (see my review here), the irrepressible duo from Sydney, Royel Otis, (Otis Pavlovic and Royel Maddell) continue with their whacky food obsession with their new single ‘Fried Rice’, as they announce a tour and the release of their debut album ‘Pratts & Pain’ through Ourness.
‘Fried Rice’ sizzles like the eponymous dish in a wok, effervescent and fragrant. The unique delivery of the band is insouciant and louche with a distant observational style and a bucket load of class. The tone is filled with a blinding, radiant emission of sunshine, a quirky pop bounce that positively shimmers with a sort of ADD-infected brittleness.
There is a delightful whimsy to the lyrics that matches this tone:
Cause I’m never gonna rust
My blankets soaked
My headaches gone
So come on Eileen
And I drink too much
More tv shows more videos
Now come down with me
Royel Otis says on ‘Fried Rice’:
Being into someone at the wrong party. They want everyone there but you, so you turn on the charm you think you found at the bottom of a bottle. You succeed in your head but that’s just not the case on reflection. Moral of the story is make sure you know the type of party you’re getting yourself into. Keep your eyes wide shut.
The accompanying video directed by Ady Neshoda is packed full of the same whimsy, as the band performs in real time against a backdrop of speeded up chaos and general bacchanalia, archetypal outsiders at at party:
Brilliant as ever. ‘Fried Rice’ is out now and can be downloaded and streamed here.
The debut album is out on 9 February 2024 and can be pre-saved here.
In the meantime. you can catch Royel Otis live on the following dates:
October 15 – Yours & Owls Festival, Wollongong, NSW
October 20 – Bar on the Hill, Newcastle, NSW (support w/ DMAs)
October 21 – Someday Soon Festival, Sydney, NSW
October 24 – The Tivoli, Brisbane, QLD (support w/ DMAs)
October 25 – The Tivoli, Brisbane, QLD (support w/ DMAs)
October 26 – Venue 114, Bokarina, QLD (support w/ DMAs)
November 25 – Spilt Milk Festival, Canberra, ACT
November 26 – Spilt Milk Festival, Gold Coast, QLD
December 2 – Spilt Milk Festival, Ballarat, VIC
December 3 – Spilt Milk Festival, Perth, WA
Feature Photograph: Georges Antoni
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