Royal Oak - Figuring It Out One Year Later: An Interview

Photos: Royal Oak

There is something special about an alt-pop band from Port Coquitlam, BC, who so happen to be childhood friends. That band is Royal Oak. Their music is both nostalgic and relatable. Tapping into the highs, lows, and everything that comes with growing up, discovering your 20s, then finding that spark that never really left in your 30’s. Lead vocalist Austin Ledyard, guitarist Michael Kragelj, bassist Brayson Wong, and drummer Myles Philpott are changing the game, making genre-altering music combining the sounds of pop punk and EDM. They have described their sound as “Put it all in the genre blender and set it to pop.” We think they are doing just that. 

We got the chance to chat with Michael about their journey over the past year of their debut album, We’re All Just Trying to Figure It Out.

“We've been a band for more than 10 years and best friends for twice that time.”

In Michael’s opinion, Royal Oak is “a lot of fun. We're all about getting you dancing and singing along, whether you're at home or at a live show with us! If you wish your pop music had more guitar solos, we're the band for you.” Perfect for fans of multiple genres, Royal Oak is changing the game in the scene, and we’re here for it.

Their album We’re All Just Trying to Figure It Out just celebrated its 1-year-anniversary at the beginning of February. Looking back at the release of the songs a year later, Michael says they all kind of hit differently, “especially once other people get a hold of them and bring a new level of meaning. We've had fans connect with songs in ways that we didn't even connect with them originally, and that's really neat.”

One track that really hits differently for him would be ‘Sofa.’ “When we wrote it, it felt like it was about a very specific moment in time. Now, I almost see it as a representation of time slipping away. It's nostalgic for a life you know you'll never have again, but not in a depressing way. That song has become a favourite from the record for all of us.”

With the album, Royal Oak reflects on their 20’s and what they have ‘figured out’ as they head into the next decade. Michael let us into the mindset the band was in during the writing process of some of the songs, “A lot of these songs were written during Covid, so I guess you could say we were in a... sort of stuck-in-place headspace? I think that's why a lot of the record feels very reflective of the years leading up to it. There wasn't much to look forward to during that time, so we mostly looked back, pulling inspiration from moments and relationships in our lives.”

We can all relate to trying to figure things out, but has the band done so since the writing of this album? “The figuring it out" never really ends, but it seems like a lot of things start to make more sense as you go. But figuring it out is part of the fun. Life would be boring if you had all your ducks in a row at all times. At the very least, a lot of the music side of this journey has been clicking. Our live show, our fanbase, our songwriting—all of it has never felt better.”

The guitarist let us in on the fact that Royal Oak has been writing tracks during these last few months, “As we all enter our thirties (!!!) and start writing for the next record, there's a sense of optimism and excitement. We've been absolutely loving just getting back into a room together to jam and write. Something like 10 or 12 songs have fallen out of us in the last few months, so it's been really neat to create organically again, without dealing with Zoom meetings and pandemic bleakness. So I think this next era, whatever it ends up being, will feel hopeful and vulnerable in ways we've never quite touched on.” 

“We've always been close as a band! What's been interesting about TikTok is that it's let the rest of the world see that closeness and become part of it.” Something fun about the quartet is that they play a word game series on their TikTok where they have to guess the same word with only 10 chances between the four of them. Sometimes they are in sync & sometimes they are not even close. Fans love interacting during live streams, trying to guess along with them. 

“For the most part, what you see when we go live, and bicker with each other, is what it's like off-camera. Like I said earlier, we just like to have fun. Doing that with a growing community of fans has been amazing, and the support from everyone has just been unreal. It feels like we have this incredible community of ride-or-die listeners that want to see us succeed and even want to uplift each other, and it's just really cool. It's wild to think it all started from a silly word game on TikTok.” 

Looking at some of their most memorable moments as a band thus far, Michael says that the tour has played a huge role. “Our most memorable moments always come from being on tour. That may be why we've always seen ourselves as a live band. There's something about cramming a bunch of idiots in a van and driving across the country that heightens every emotion and creates core memories. We've made some lifelong friends on the road, done some wild stuff, and cracked stupid jokes that we still reference eight years later. I guess it's just being besties that has shaped us more than anything.” 

Looking at the rest of 2026, Michael says the goal for the band is to release some new tunes. “We're all so busy that it can be tough to all be in the same room and record these ideas, but they're definitely coming sooner rather than later. There should also be some out-of-town dates coming, so keep an eye out for that.”

We couldn’t be more excited. Be sure to keep up with Royal Oak on their socials and their unofficial fan Discord server. The band hopes to share some sneak peeks of what they’re working on there. For now, figure it out, and go stream the album.