Royal Oak gave itself a challenge last year.
The four young musicians — all graduates of Port Coquitlam’s Terry Fox secondary and former students of Steve Sainas’ Rock School program — had just released their sophomore album, Younger.
And they didn’t want another two years to slip by before dropping their next CD.
Now, nearly a year after they made their promise, Royal Oak is out with a five-track EP called Pretend — complete with a rejigged sound thanks in part to producer Ryan Worsley (Dear Rouge, Said the Whale) of Echoplant Recording Studios in PoCo.
The EP's first single, Tell Me, came out June 1.
Pretend is an “expanded direction” for the group, said lead vocalist Austin Ledyard. “We aimed for a more pop sensibility,” the 22-year-old told The Tri-City News last week, “because we wanted a reflection of what we’ve been listening to as we grow. Everyone has their phases… and we’ve been evolving and adapting as we come into our own.”
Still, the EP, which will be released next Friday with a 13-date tour starting July 27 at the Biltmore in Vancouver and ending in Revelstoke on Aug. 26, has another PoCo connection: its second song, Mistakes, features Chersea — an indie/ambient pop act who plays music with Royal Oak’s Brayson Wong (vocals, bass, synthesizer).
“We never wrote the song with her in mind,” said Ledyard, who now lives in Pitt Meadows, “but it really called for a second female voice. We talked to Ryan and he and Brayson suggested Chersea. I’ve known her through mutual bands and she lived close to me growing up. It’s funny how a bunch of PoCo kids are carving out their niche. It brings a lot of camaraderie.”
Added Sainas, “I have always been impressed by the musicianship and creativity of Brayson, Myles, Austin and Michael. I am so proud to watch them passionately pursue their careers as recording and performing artists. Their recordings sound amazing.”
• Pretend is available July 20 via Spotify, Apple Music/iTunes and other digital retailers and streaming services.
