Royel Otis
Album: Pratts & Pain
Release Date: 2024
Australia
Royel Maddell and Otis Pavlovic had known of each other around the Byron Bay area before Pavlovic sent Maddell some demos in 2019, with Pavlovic claiming this was “the collaboration he’d been chasing his whole life”. The band’s name is a combination of the first names of Maddell and Pavlovic, respectively.
In October 2021, the duo released their debut EP Campus.[4] This was followed in August 2022, with Bar n Grill. Their third EP Sofa Kings, released in March 2023, peaked at number 43 on the ARIA Charts following its physical release in July 2023. Their song “Going Kokomo” was included in the EA Sports FC 24 soundtrack.
In October 2023, the group announced the release of their debut studio album Pratts & Pain, which was released on 16 February 2024. In January 2024, the duo received attention for their cover of Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s song “Murder on the Dancefloor” on the Australian radio station Triple J, which reached the ARIA Charts in February.
Lyrics: Foam
Help
When your beak is full of ketamine
And your screaming with the windows rolled down
The foam around your mouth it reeks
I’m here to wash it
Girl, I think you need paid relief
Been cleaning all the stains off the ground
I’m hiding in the floors beneath
I’m here to watch it
Slow down and keep my name out your mouth
Could burn your lot to the ground
Just to hear the sound
Of you crying
Slow down and keep my name out your mouth
Could burn your lot to the ground
Just to hear the sound
Of you crying
Slow down
Well, stop peaking through your magazines
Think you need to stay off the prowl
It’s piling through you’re crooked teeth
I’m here to floss it
Slow down and keep my name out your mouth
Could burn your lot to the ground
Just to hear the sound
Of you crying
Slow down and keep my name out your mouth
Could burn your lot to the ground
Just to hear the sound
Of you crying
Slow down and keep my name out your mouth
Could burn your lot to the ground
Just to hear the sound
Of you crying
Slow down
Tracklist: Pratts & Pain
01. “Adored”
02. “Fried Rice”
03. “Foam”
04. “Sonic Blue”
05. “Heading for the Door”
06. “Velvet“
07. “IHYSM“
08. “Molly“
09. “Daisy Chain”
10. “Glory to Glory”
11. “Always Always”
12. “Big Ciggie”
We were pretty angry in the studio. We were just kind of getting sick of talk from people we don’t know about us, sort of thing, in a way that we were just like, ‘Keep my name out your fucking mouth, bruh.’
Royel on the back story of Foam
Congratulations on your debut. You named your band simply after your first names, named your debut after your favorite pub, Pratts & Payne. Are there any other tributes in your discography that I am missing out?
Otis: Oysters. We named ‘Oysters In My Pocket’ after eating Oysters.
Royel: ‘Glory to Glory’ is named after a laundromat on the way to Pratts & Payne.
I find it really charming. What was Pratts & Payne folks’ reaction to being publicly named after a debut album with all kinds of potential?
Otis: They were lovely, but Pratts & Payne was just a small, little pub. So there weren’t a lot of people who knew that our album would turn out to be named after the pub. It closed down, but at the time, there were people who worked there who were really nice. We told them about it, and they put a photo up of us for about two months before it closed down.
Back to your debut, how would you describe it and how satisfied do you feel?
Otis: I feel like a McCrispy at 12 o’clock at night.
Royel: Just in case we’re freaking out after the 40 nuggets, four cheeseburgers, one double cheeseburger, and three large fries with all the sauces.
You’ll be nonstop playing all over the planet for the next few months and most of it is sold out already! How exciting is it and at what point in your band’s short history did you guys realize ‘you got this’?
Otis: We haven’t realized we got it. We haven’t even done it yet.
Royel: I don’t think you ever get it. We’re never going to have it until we got it. Then we’ll realize that we got it but haven’t yet realized that we might have it.
From writing to production, and execution to delivery, it’s such a gorgeous album. How do you feel about working with Dan Carey? A huge fan of whatever he does- especially after the Fontaines D.C. record!
Otis: That’s a great album. We did a couple of sessions with different producers in the UK just before a tour one time, and we met Dan very briefly for a day. We wrote a song with him and that was actually ‘Glory to Glory’ which ended up being on the album. When we met him, we just thought this guy was cool and we got along with him.
Royel: We got along with him well. He’s incredibly intimidating cause he doesn’t smile much, but when he does, it lights up the whole room.
Not too long ago, you came up with an incredible Murder on the Dance Floor cover, which has given you a lot of international recognition. I think it was such a perfect match with your band’s personality. Have you heard back from Sophie, at all?
Otis: She retweeted the cover and did a clapping hands emoji.
Who are your dance floor heroes?
Royel: Shaun O’Toole from high school. He used to rollerskate when no one rollerskated. He wore rollerskates to the school dance, and it was fucking wild. I couldn’t stop watching him. My date to the dance was jealous.
Who would you want Foam to be covered by in your ideal-dream-world?
Otis: Glass Animals.
Royel: Sinead O’Connor for me.
Last but not least; we’ve picked your addictive single ‘Foam’ for our loop series. How did it come about and what is the back story of it?
Royel: We were pretty angry in the studio. We were just kind of getting sick of talk from people we don’t know about us, sort of thing, in a way that we were just like, ‘Keep my name out your fucking mouth, bruh.’
