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Photo – Alex Wall

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Praise for ROYEL OTIS

“The chemistry they’ve got within the music is undeniable… Honestly, I think you’re gonna fall for it hook line and sinker, I did at the very first listen.“ – Jack Saunders, BBC Radio 1’s Indie Show

“[Without U] might be the strongest Breaking track I’ve played in quite some time.” – Matt Wilkinson, Apple Music’s Beats 1

“Campus has arrived and is the perfect summer soundtrack to a post lockdown world: sweet, nostalgic lyrics dance playfully over infectious drums and great guitar riffs.” – 10 Magazine

“…they’ve crafted an indie-leaning palette and youthful exuberance that is fit for your favourite coming-of-age dramas.” – The Line of Best Fit

“Royel Otis’ debut EP Bar N Grill is a collection of sweet, melodic pop that harkens back to the halcyon era of 2000s and 2010s indie. Built around skeletal arrangements and easy melodies, this is unassuming, smartly crafted pop.” – The FADER

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Today, Sydney’s cream of the indie crop, Royel Otis announce their forthcoming third EP, Sofa Kings – for release on March 31 via OURNESS. To celebrate, the duo share their newest single and music video, “I Wanna Dance With You” out now.

After wrapping 2022 by conquering their first ever European and UK tour, performing to bursting crowds across Leeds, London, Manchester and Glasgow, through to Paris and Amsterdam, Royel Otis now return and to tease their latest short play. Sofa Kings spans seven tracks of sunny alt-pop, and is a progressive step forward from the infectious melodies and quick-witted songwriting the pair are known for. Produced by Chris Collins and Royel Otis, the EP promises to continue captivating fans with visceral stories atop blissful guitar-fuzzed haze.  

Out today is the EP’s second single, “I Wanna Dance With You”. A knees-up indie-pop belter, the track is coloured with twinkling piano runs and shimmering guitar licks. The layered vocals of Otis lead with conviction as a fast-paced tempo sends the sweetness of yearning into overdrive, convincing their significant other to dance. 

Royel Otis say of the single: “Gather the courage to tell someone how you feel but muck it up like Frank Spencer on roller skates. Put that image to the banjo scene from Deliverance and you have yourself the recipe for ‘I Wanna Dance With You’. Just play it all off as intentional and you’ll be alright.”

The track arrives with yet another stunning new music video from the duo. Packed with youthful nostalgia, the clip follows a young boy as he nervously prepares for an upcoming dance party with his crush.

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In October 2022, Royel Otis unveiled the first single to feature on Sofa Kings, “Kool Aid”. The widely beloved track provided a dose of summery perfection that earned both local and international praise among Paper Mag, Purple Sneakers, NME, BBC Radio 1 and Apple Music 1. The track received playlisting support from NME Radio, MTV, Rage and Triple J, where it climbed to the station’s #1 Most Played track. The song followed the release of the duo’s sophomore EP, Bar ‘N Grill earlier that year. They have since graced the covers of global playlists including Spotify’s Front Left, Indie Arrivals and Supersound, Apple Music’s Heaps Indie and more, amassed over 10 million streams this year alone, and garnered widespread playlisting support across community radio, US college radio and BBC Radio 6. Capping off a career-high year, the duo have also been named in the NME 100 and Matt Wilkinson’s (Apple Music 1) ‘Ones To Watch’ list for 2023, after also featuring in his 2022 ‘Hidden Gems’ list with fan favourite, “Oysters In My Pocket”.

In 2021 the band released their debut EP Campus, which introduced Royel Otis as an Australian act to watch. Following a stint in New York, Royel met Otis after a hazy night out in a Sydney Bar. Otis, fresh out of high school, mustered up the courage to share some of the demos he had been working on in isolation, and an instantaneous creative click soon happened. Fusing Otis’ DIY productions with his own wonky samples he’d gathered during his time in the Big Apple, the two churned out tunes in Royel’s Sydney sunroom, slowly shaping their sound. 

From their home studio beginnings honing and tinkering at a sound now so distinctively their own, Royel Otis has evolved to embrace a rapturous live show. Alongside two initial sold-out headline gigs in Sydney and Melbourne in 2022, the band completed a string of performances supporting The Rubens, Teenage Dads and Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers, taking them right across the country and to regional cities. Having now also taken their live show to a mass of fans across EU and the UK, they are preparing for plenty more gigs to come in 2023. 

Today, enjoy the cleverly charming pick-me-up of “I Wanna Dance With You”, as Royel Otis get set to deliver their third EP Sofa Kings in March, 2023.

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“I WANNA DANCE WITH YOU” IS OUT TODAY VIA OURNESS
BUY/STREAM HERE
WATCH HERE

SOFA KINGS EP IS OUT MARCH 31 VIA OURNESS
PRE-SAVE HERE

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Follow ROYEL OTIS
FACEBOOK – TWITTER – INSTAGRAM

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AMNPLIFY – DB