Auckland’s Otis Tate is making alt-rock feel personal again.
Blending the raw energy of The White Stripes with the introspection of indie-pop, Otis Tate’s new single Memory Lane captures nostalgia, change, and self-reflection without losing momentum.
Backed by a tight band, Tate balances shimmering keyboards, killer drums, and rich vocals, crafting a sound that’s both immediate and thoughtful. With his debut EP on the horizon, he’s proving that he can honour the past while pushing confidently into new territory.
HAPPY: What’d you get up to today?
OTIS TATE: I spent today continuing my rewatch of Stranger Things in prep for season 5, I’m halfway through season 4 at the moment.
Then my mates and I made a man made theme park type ride where we attached a rope and harness to a spinning playground thing. Needless to say I’ve never been more dizzy in my life
HAPPY: Tell us a little about where you’re from, and what you love about it!
OTIS TATE: I am from beautiful Auckland in New Zealand, specifically a suburb called Onehunga and I love how multi-cultured the city is.
It makes the place feel very welcoming and depending on where you go you can find some awesome local cuisine.
HAPPY: Your musical tastes span from The White Stripes and Bruce Springsteen to Kendrick Lamar and Prince. How do these diverse influences coalesce into the “Otis Tate” sound?
OTIS TATE: I think they all coalesce in ways you do and don’t hear in my sound.
With artists like Bruce Springsteen and The White Stripes, there is quite a clear coalition sonically.
Whereas with Kendrick Lamar and Prince, I have always admired how free and confident they are in themselves as people and how that translates into their performance on their recordings which is where I draw my inspiration from them.
HAPPY: Your new single, ‘Memory Lane,’ is described as more “mature and introspective.” What prompted this shift in tone from your earlier, energetic alt-rock bangers?
OTIS TATE: I think what prompted it was that the words came first before the music when I was writing it.
Normally I have the music all laid out and then I try to find the words to fit the vibe.
This time the words were already there, I just needed to find the right tone to serve the lyrics well.
HAPPY: The song was sparked by hearing your childhood church was being destroyed. Can you talk about that feeling?
OTIS TATE: It was a little bittersweet. When I found out I said ‘oh that’s sad’ but I wasn’t really because I hadn’t been there in a long time.
Finding out made me think about how I deal with change and the tug of war that goes on in my head when I leave a place or a person.
HAPPY: ‘Memory Lane’ took about a week and a rewrite to finish. What was the biggest change or breakthrough you had during that rewriting process?
OTIS TATE: From the first draft to the final version I changed the second verse.
I can’t remember what I wrote first but I remember it sucked. I still believed I had a good song in there so I didn’t get discouraged and I am really glad I saw it through
HAPPY: The song deals with the changing of inner circles. Is ‘Memory Lane’ a farewell to the past, or an attempt to preserve it?
It’s both. It definitely is about letting go of it and in letting go, you are preserving the nostalgia for good.
It’s a tug of war between both of those ideas and not letting nostalgia get the best of you.
HAPPY: With this more reflective single out, what can listeners expect from the sound and themes of your upcoming debut EP?
They can expect more introspective lyrical themes but sonically it will still range from the energetic alt-rock from songs like Crazy and Bye Bye to the reflective Indie-Pop of Memory Lane.
HAPPY: Can you tell us about the contributions of your bandmates (Jesse, Ben, Jackson, and Ariel) to the specific atmosphere of “Memory Lane”?
OTIS TATE: Jesse is my killer drummer, solid as a rock not only as a musician but also as a person.
She is also the goofiest person I have ever met. She only needed like two takes to get the drum parts.
My bassist Ben is one of the most talented musicians I’ve met. He has one of the best vibes and delivered an absolutely killer bass line.
Jackson is my suave keyboardist. Also one of the best and most adaptable musicians I’ve ever met, always has the most positive energy.
He brings the ambient pads to life and helps the song give its shimmer.
Then Ariel Kelly is my wonderful backing vocalist, maybe my favourite singer ever, she is the icing on the cake of this song
HAPPY: Lastly, what makes you happy?
OTIS TATE: Good food, cool people, watching the All Blacks win, a good concert, supporting other local artists here in New Zealand, did I mention good food already? And writing and making cool music.
