That band moniker isn’t a misspelling: It’s the combined first names of Royel Maddell and Otis Pavlovic, the Sydney duo who make such persistently catchy indie pop together. Their initial run of EPs introduced a real knack for breezy forward motion, with “Oysters in My Pocket” evoking the chirpy early days of The Drums. Yet there are subtle flourishes at play too: “Without U” weaves in funkier guitar licks and warped electronic elements, while the Johnny Marr-esque hook of “I Wanna Dance With You” nearly dovetails into pure country twang. Royel Otis continued to incorporate winsome new tricks into their 2024 debut album PRATTS & PAIN, often ruffling their clean-cut creations with surprise bursts of distortion or tempering the upbeat airs with quiet undercurrents of melancholy. The standout “Fried Rice” does both of those things, and all without diminishing its considerable strength as a readymade earworm.