Royel Otis

Sometimes, all it takes is a song to bring people together. Otis Pavlovic and Royel Maddell might never have started making music with each other were it not for the sublime sound of Long Island duo the Alessi Brothers’ 1976 single ‘Seabird’. A formative yacht-rock anthem that combines a little bit of Steely Dan with a whole lot of soul and falsetto harmonies, it was love at first listen for both Pavolvic and Maddell. When the pair of relative strangers ended up exchanging ideas for a potential project, both knew exactly what they wanted it to sound like: ‘Seabird’. “It’s stunning,” explains Maddell. “Fucking flawless.”

Pavlovic and Maddell barely knew each other before they got into a studio together, even though the fresh-out-of-school Pavlovic was something of a regular at the Bondi Beach bar Maddell worked in. A “dark, moody and grungy place”, Pavolvic would often find himself playing pool there with his pals, slightly in awe of the older guy pushing pints behind the bar.