ROYBOY drop incendiary new track ‘Ramen Bowl’

September 16 2021

+ LIMITED EDITION RARA RAMEN FLAVOUR OUT NOW

Photo by ROYBOY

PRAISE FOR ROYBOY

“It’s clear that this Sydney producer might just be one to watch for the future”
Rolling Stone

“An edgy hip-hop jam with snappy bars and glitchy production”
NME

“We mightn’t now who tf ROY is, but we do know that we’re keen to
listen to this one over and over and over again”

triple j

Anonymous Australian alt-hip hop collective ROYBOY today share their latest incendiary single, ‘Ramen Bowl‘ together with the launch of an exclusive Ramen flavour in collaboration with Eora / Sydney based cult establishment, RaRa RamenLISTEN HERE.

Following their return with ‘Busy‘, ‘Ramen Bowl‘ is the group’s second single in short succession, yet another potent demonstration of ROYBOY‘s addictively amorphous sound, melding together warped, elasticised synths, bass-heavy, seemingly bottomless electronic percussion and restless, sample-heavy, bric-a-brac production that sits somewhere between Billie Eilish and BROCKHAMPTON. Atop this shifting bed of sound, ‘Ramen Bowl‘ is, as always, defined by ROYBOY’s signature pitched-down vocals, an omnivorous, effects-lathered melange of assiduously crafted, heavily processed pitches, tonalities and timbres that never seems to sit still, moving between sharp, frenzied verses to a casually swaggering chorus and back again.

Of the single, ROYBOY share “We wanted to make something high energy and weird in its soundscape, and during a lunch break we realised that our cupboards are never free of ramen. Being in the kitchen cooking ramen became the metaphor for cooking up beats in the studio. So after sampling some chopsticks, bowls dropping and drawers closing, we translated the ‘spice mix’ into a palate-burning heater to soundtrack our passionate love of noodles.” 

WATCH: ‘Ramen Bowl’ (Official Music Video)

With the release, ROYBOY reveal the details of their collaborative ramen flavour, exclusive to Eora / Sydney based establishment RaRa Ramen. Dubbed the RaRa Royboy Royale, the limited-edition bowl is comprised of house-made chilli noodles, Ra Ra’s signature tonkotsu broth, spicy soboro, coal grilled chashu, half egg, grilled corn kernels, nori slice, chilli oil and chilli-spiced powder. Scott GaultDirector and Ramen Chef says “We have been pumped for the launch of this collaboration to create a Ramen that slaps as much as the new track. Expect an uncompromising assault on the senses as you slurp and listen to Ramen Bowl.” The RaRa Royboy Royale is available for now until September 30ORDER TAKEAWAY HERE.

Like previous singles ‘Bread‘, ‘Calamari‘, ‘oursound‘ and ‘Busy‘, ROYBOY‘s latest offering would seem to contain the seeds of a more traditional song somewhere amidst all this noise. But, with their deeply independent and thoroughly authority-resistant spirit, ROYBOY bend their music thrillingly out of shape, as though they are allergic to conventional rules of songwriting. This balance – mixing the infectiousness of pop music with the unexpected, electrifying rushes of experimental music – is one which ROYBOY are now increasingly perfecting with each new release, as they continue to solidify their position amongst Australia’s thriving new wave of alt-hip hop and electronic music.

“Who is ROYBOY?” and “where did they come from?” is just some of the feverish questions that have followed ROYBOY since first appearing as winners of triple j‘s inaugural DIY Supergroup Competition last year. With no proper debut to their name and scant details of who – or what – was behind the project, their recontextualised snippets of FlumeAmy Shark and Tame Impala with ‘switchUP‘ was received with a frenzy of exhilarating fascination. Away from the public gaze, allowed to gestate at its own pace, the process of ROYBOY is strictly internal and revolves around the chemistry and camaraderie pulsing through the collective, a fertile breeding ground of ideas and trust that decentres the individual self in service of collective vision.

Composed of poets, beatmakers and visual artists, ROYBOY is, by the group’s own definition, an autonomous entity, completely independent and separate from its creators. Whomever’s voice has been recorded and subsequently mutated; whoever’s tweaked that synth line to a high-pitched gnarl; whoever’s programmed the rattling drum track – the individual is not the point. ROYBOY is constantly in motion, expanding and contracting to take in everyone involved in the project. Rather than any set group of individuals, ROYBOY is guided and united by energy, rendering themselves invisible on a personal level in order to find identity in the collective. Anonymity liberates them from having to adhere to anyone else’s preconceptions, pushing against set rules like a child who is constantly testing the boundaries of their own rebelliousness – their eyes firmly set on joining the ranks of Australia’s trailblazing electronic producers.

Ramen Bowl‘ is out now, buy/stream it here.

Stay connected with ROYBOY:
Instagram | YouTube | Soundcloud

ABOUT ROYBOY 

By their own definition, ROYBOY is amorphous, an autonomous entity that is completely independent and separate from its creators. Whomever’s voice has been recorded before being subsequently mutated; whoever’s tweaked the synth line to a high-pitched gnarl; whoever’s programmed the rattling drum track – the individual is not the point. ROYBOY is constantly in motion, expanding and contracting to take in everyone involved in the project. Rather than any set group of individuals, ROYBOY is guided and united by an energy, rendering themselves invisible on a personal level in order to find identity in the collective. This anonymity liberates ROYBOY from having to adhere to anyone else’s preconceptions, pushing against the set rules like a child who is constantly testing the boundaries of their own rebelliousness. Whether online or in the studio, the process of ROYBOY is strictly internal and revolves around the chemistry and camaraderie pulsing through the collective, a fertile breeding ground of ideas and trust that decentres the individual self in service of collective vision.