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Australian duo Royel Otis’ American takeover continues with the debut of new single ‘Moody’ in front of celebs including Benny Blanco
Jamieson Kerr
Royel Otis are having a moment—and they just made sure LA was part of it.
The Sydney indie-pop duo debuted their new single “Moody” live this week during a pair of sold-out underplay shows at the iconic Troubadour, giving fans—and a few well-known faces—a first taste of their latest sonic chapter.
Spotted in the crowd on the second night were Benny Blanco, Maude Apatow, and Lukas Gage, all vibing along as Royel Maddell and Otis Pavlovic delivered the lush, emotive new track ahead of its official release this Friday, May 9th.
“Moody” marks the first new music from Royel Otis since their 2024 debut album PRATTS & PAIN—a breakout record that catapulted the pair from Australia’s buzzing underground to the global stage. The album earned them a top 10 chart position, a Billboard Hot 100 debut, multiple ARIA Awards (including Best Group), and a sold-out homecoming at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion.
And while the accolades piled up, the duo never lost sight of their messy, experimental roots. Speaking to Rolling Stone AU/NZ earlier this year, Pavlovic shared, “We’ve got a little bit of time away to just work on some music.” Maddell added, “I don’t know how anyone has an actual schedule or a routine of how they write songs. We just work together, bounce ideas off each other… it’s always different. It’s like building a cake.”
That free-flowing creative process has helped them craft some of the most infectious and offbeat indie-pop in recent memory—and it’s clearly still working. “Moody” leans into their talent for emotionally charged, deceptively breezy songwriting, layering dreamy melodies over a core of sharp-edged vulnerability.
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The Troubadour shows are just the beginning. Royel Otis are set to support Halsey on select dates of her upcoming North American tour this June, joining a powerhouse lineup that includes Evanescence, Alvvays, Magdalena Bay, The Warning, and more. The duo will open for Halsey at shows in Ontario, Michigan, and Ohio.
Then it’s back to headlining: their ‘Meet Me in the Car’ tour kicks off August 5th in Seattle, with stops in New York, Philadelphia, Austin, Boston, and Washington, D.C., and support from DANCER and bby on select dates.
Festival-goers won’t miss out either—Royel Otis are locked in for some of the biggest events on the US summer calendar, including Governors Ball, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Outside Lands, and more still to be announced.
At the start of the year, the Recording Academy named Royel Otis one of its ’25 Artists to Watch’. By year’s end, the duo had more than delivered. But if you ask them, it’s only getting wilder from here. Back in December, Maddell summed up the last twelve months in one word: “Chaos.”
In This Article: Royel Otis, The Troubadour
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