Aussie duo Royel Otis have gone Gold with their cover of Murder On The Dancefloor by Sophie Ellis-Bextor for triple j’s Like A Version and their 2022 song, Oysters In My Pocket.
The news of the duo—Otis Pavlovic and Royel Maddell—going viral arrived as they dropped two post-punk and grunge-inspired bonus tracks (Claw Foot and Merry Mary Marry Me) to add to their debut album, Pratts & Pain.
As a press release notes, Royel Otis’s cover of Murder On The Dancefloor has achieved Gold certification after peaking at #2 on ARIA’s Top 20 Australian Singles. It also reached #9 on the US Billboard Alternative Airplay Chart and #6 on the Mediabase Alternative Rock Chart. The band’s 2022 single, Oysters In My Pocket, is now also certified Gold.
Royel Otis’s success continues after their debut album debuted at #1 on the ARIA Australian Albums Chart, #1 on the Top 20 Vinyl Albums Chart, and #10 on the ARIA Albums Chart. Last year, they were nominated as Breakthrough Artists at the ARIA Awards.
Discussing the inspiration behind covering Murder On The Dancefloor on Like A Version, Pavlovic told The Music’s Emma Newbury in a recent cover story, “We were trying to decide on songs last year when we first found out we’d be doing it. We were kind of thinking of doing Fred again.., but yeah… That was just a thought.”
Maddell added, “It’s funny because we were actually thinking of doing Sophie Ellis-Bextor ages ago. I just love that early 2000s kind of pop music. Our manager was like, ‘Nah, don’t do that one; it’s not really relevant…’ And then, of course, the movie [Saltburn] came out.”
Pratts & Pain was produced by Grammy Award-winning producer and musician Dan Carey (Wet Leg, Fontaines DC, Kylie Minogue). The album was named after the South London pub around the corner from Carey’s famed home studio. The duo frequently finished lyrics and decided on sonic directions over a pint on a Pratts & Payne bar stool.
Royel Otis toured Australia in support of Pratts & Pain through February and March.
