Royel Otis hickey

Critic's Take

Royel Otis's hickey finds its best songs in collaborative lifts and catchy callbacks, especially “I Hate This Tune” and “Good Times”. The reviewer leans into the duo's knack for balancing wistful moods and higher-energy heartbreak, praising Pavlovic's whistling and Lloyd's soulful production as major strengths. While some moments like “Shut Up” and “More to Lose” stagger, the album's sweetest peaks - namely “I Hate This Tune” and “Dancing With Myself” - crystallize why these are the best tracks on hickey. The tone is admiring but measured, celebrating unpredictability without ignoring uneven spots.

Key Points

• “I Hate This Tune” is the best song for introducing the album’s recurring whistling motif and pleading, hooky chorus.
• The album’s core strengths are its balance of wistful moods and energetic heartbreak, plus fruitful collaborations that expand the duo’s sound.

Themes

Critic's Take

Royel Otis sound fully comfortable on hickey, and the best songs here - notably “Car”, “Say Something” and “Good Times” - crystallise their sun-soaked, minimalist pop. Liberty Dunworth’s account praises woozy guitar lines, shimmering synths and Pavlovic’s hazy vocals as the glue that makes those tracks linger, while also noting moments like “Who’s Your Boyfriend” that hint at bolder horizons. The record’s charm lies in settling into a recognisable recipe for feel-good summer anthems, even if occasionally it plays it safe. Overall, when asked what the best tracks on hickey are, it’s the warm immediacy of “Car”, the rhythm of “Say Something” and the aptly named “Good Times” that stand out.

Key Points

• The best song is 'Car' because its sun-soaked production, woozy guitar and hazy vocals crystallise the duo’s signature sound.
• The album’s core strengths are minimalist songwriting, memorable melodies, and a cohesive summer-anthem aesthetic.

Themes

Critic's Take

The opening of hickey feels like a sun-soaked coming-of-age soundtrack, and the best songs on the album - notably “car”, “dancing with myself” and “she’s got a gun” - show Royel Otis keeping their feel-good indie-pop intact while mining bruised hearts. Emma Cooper-Raeburn praises the tropical melodies and vulnerable storytelling that make those tracks stand out, even as the band reckons with problematic lines in “moody”. Overall, Royel Otis balance catchy riffs with messy-relationship intimacy, making these the go-to best tracks on hickey for summer listening.

Key Points

• The best song is likely "car" because it is explicitly recommended as a must-listen and grouped with the album's most effective tracks.
• The album's core strengths are sun-soaked indie-pop production and vulnerable storytelling about messy relationships.

Themes

Critic's Take

This feels like another sun-drenched win for Royel Otis, with hickey leaning into nostalgic, danceable indie in full bloom. The review revels in the album's references while praising songs like “Who’s Your Boyfriend” and “Car” for channeling New Order and contemporary stoned-pop respectively. There is particular affection for the intimate closer “Jazz Burger”, described as the record's most unguarded moment, and the reviewer repeatedly notes how smoothly the band refines a familiar formula. Overall, the tone is celebratory rather than demanding innovation - the best songs are those that make you move and feel, which is exactly what hickey delivers.

Key Points

• ‘Who’s Your Boyfriend’ is the best track for its euphoric, New Order-like instrumental that 'absolutely slaps'.
• The album's core strength is refining nostalgic 70s-80s influences into danceable, sun-drenched indie that feels both familiar and instantly enjoyable.

Themes

Critic's Take

Helen Brown finds the best songs on hickey to be the moody, pop-leaning highlights such as “Moody” and “Car”, which stitch Eighties synth sheen to grunge-tinged fretwork. She writes with a wry, slightly chastening tone - admiring the record's choons and vulnerability while flagging how some lyrics slide into problematic exes territory. The reviewer points to opener “I Hate This Tune” and the bouncy “Dancing with Myself” as standout moments that balance heartbreak with danceable hooks. Overall the voice is measured and evaluative, noting charm and tension as she weighs why these are the best tracks on hickey.

Key Points

• The best song(s) like "Car" combine catchy pop hooks with evocative, bruised lyrical images making them emotionally resonant.
• The album’s core strengths are its infectious choons, Eighties synth-pop textures and candid takes on post-relationship vulnerability.

Themes