After dominating every international festival worth its overpriced beer, Royel Otis are finally coming home — and they’re not exactly easing back in. The Sydney indie-rock duo have just announced the Meet Me in the Car Australian tour for October, playing their biggest venues yet across Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, and Perth, in support of their brand new album, hickey (out 22 August via OURNESS/Universal).
That’s right: the same band that made Murder on the Dancefloor cool again are rolling back into town with a whole lot of new noise — and probably still wearing the same pair of sunnies from Glasto.
From Like A Version to World Domination
In case you’ve somehow dodged Royel Otis’ recent victory lap, they’ve been absolutely everywhere. Glastonbury. Lollapalooza. Governor’s Ball. Fuji Rock. Basically, if it had a stage and a ridiculous crowd, they were there, jangling their hearts out and getting entire fields of humans to sway in collective emotional damage.
They’ve racked up over 220 million global streams, scored their first Billboard Hot 100 hit with their cover of Linger, and even dropped into Jimmy Kimmel Live! like it was just another Tuesday. Add a string of sold-out shows, ARIA wins, and a Like A Version cover that briefly became Australia’s national anthem (sorry Daryl Braithwaite), and yeah — it’s been a year.
What the Heck Is Hickey?
Glad you asked. Their second album hickey drops in late August, and it’s already shaping up to be a romantic, reckless, 3am drive kind of record. According to Royel, it’s “naughty and romantic all at the same time” — which checks out if you’ve heard lead single ‘car‘, a shimmering, bittersweet indie-pop gem that was immediately crowned BBC Radio 1’s “Hottest Record” on release. Not bad for a band that used to make DIY mess-pop from a Sydney bedroom.
Expect tracks like ‘moody’ and ‘say something’ to hit even harder live, especially if you’re clinging to someone sweaty and sun-stunned in a sea of strangers all screaming the same chorus. You know, the good kind of chaos.
Where You Can Catch Them
The Meet Me in the Car tour kicks off in October with dates in:
- Melbourne – Margaret Court Arena
- Brisbane – Fortitude Music Hall
- Sydney – Hordern Pavilion
- Perth – Ice Cream Factory
If you’ve ever fallen in love with a song during a road trip, cried at a guitar line, or danced so hard your shoe came off — this one’s for you. Royel Otis are pulling up, and they want you in the car.
Just don’t forget to hydrate. And bring tissues. You know what they do to people.
Stay unruly.
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