Oh Pep! are an Australian band formed in Melbourne, Australia by Olivia Hally (vocals, guitar) and Pepita Emmerichs (violin, mandolin). Their debut album, Stadium Cake, was released on 24 June 2016.
Emmerichs characterised her band's musical style as "folk/pop/country with bluegrass instrumentation". She has cited among the band's influences Paul Kelly, Ryan Adams, Gillian Welch, Andrew Bird, Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Glen Hansard, Elbow, Bright Eyes and Arcade Fire. Christine Campbell of Lip Magazine called their music "an original mix of different kinds of folk, pop, indie and more." NPR Music's Bob Boilen, after seeing Oh Pep! perform at the 2015 CMJ Music Marathon, praised their songs as "charming ... with lyrical and structural twists and turns.""Bob Boilen's Top 10 Discoveries From The 2015 CMJ Music Marathon" All Songs Considered, 19 October 2015. Retrieved 22 October 2015
Career 2009-2015: Formation and early releases The duo met at the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School in 2009, and began writing songs together.Christine Campbell, "Interview: Oh Pep!" Lip Magazine (3 December 2012). Retrieved 10 April 2015"Q&A, with PEPI" The Melting Pot. Retrieved 10 April 2015 In mid-2011, their musical duo, known as Oh Pep!, expanded into a five-piece lineup with Stuart West (double bass), Paddy Montgomery (mandolin, bouzouki) and Justin Olsson (drums, percussion). The band's line-up has changed several times since, with Hally and Emmerichs the constant factor in all line-up configurations.
Pepita Emmerichs was also a child actress, who had appeared in Spike Jonze's 2009 film Where the Wild Things Are as Claire, the protagonist's older sister.
The band's self-titled debut EP, which was entirely self-produced and funded, was released on 6 September 2012."Oh Pep!" Oh Pep! official site. Retrieved 10 April 2015 Their second EP, II, was released on 10 October 2013."II" Oh Pep! official site. Retrieved 10 April 2015
In January 2013, Oh Pep! covered Paul Simon's Graceland in its entirety as part of the event "RocKwiz presents Pure Pop's Summer of Classic Albums"."Rockwiz presents Pure Pop's Summer of Classic Albums" TimeOut Melbourne. Retrieved 10 April 2015 In November 2014, the band performed as a showcase act at the Australasian Worldwide Music Expo."AWME Q&A: Oh Pep!" Beat. Retrieved 10 April 2015
Oh Pep! released their third EP, Living, on 21 August 2015, through Star House Collective."Living" Oh Pep! official site. Retrieved 22 October 2015. Oh Pep! performed at the 2015 Americana Music Festival & Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, where Pop Matters' listed them as one of the event's "unquestionable standouts",Annie Galvin, "10 Americana Fest Bands to Fall in Love With Right Now" Pop Matters, 8 October 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2010 writing that "seeing Oh Pep! is one of those times when the crowd realizes they're seeing future stars for the first time."
Oh Pep! also performed at the 2015 CMJ Music Marathon, where they received praise from NPR Music's Bob Boilen, The New York Times''' Jon Pareles,Tweet by Jon Pareles @JonPareles, Twitter.com, 18 October 2015. Retrieved 28 October 2015. and the KCRW Music Blog.Nassir Nassirzadeh, "CMJ Music Marathon 2015: 11 Artists That Ruled The Fest" KCRW Music Blog, 20 October 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2015. In October 2015, Hally and Emmerichs performed as Oh Pep! for NPR Music's Tiny Desk Concerts series."Oh Pep!: Tiny Desk Concert" NPR Music, 16 October 2015. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
2016-present: Stadium Cake & I Wasn't Only Thinking About You... The band's debut album, Stadium Cake, was released on 24 June 2016."New Mix: Weezer, The Jayhawks, Colin Stetson, More" All Songs Considered, NPR Music, 5 April 2016. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
For Stadium Cake, Oh Pep! sought to explore different musical styles. According to Hally, "We're more aware now of exactly what we want with our sound, and for that matter exploring sounds that we haven't used before. [...] There's more of a pop influence this time, some rock."Adam Norris, "Oh Pep!" The Brag. Retrieved 10 April 2015 In their review of the band's debut album, The Village Voice described the Oh Pep! sound as "starting off slow and spare — all delicate strumming and hushed vocals — it soon grows into something fast, boisterous, and baroque [...] From the get-go it's clear that Stadium Cake is a pop album."Bryan Hood (2016) "Oh Pep! Aim for the Big Leagues With an Ambitious Folk-Pop Debut" The Village Voice, 29 June 2016. Archived 4 September 2017.
The band's music featured in the 2017 short film Martha The Monster, directed by Christopher Weekes.Martha the Monster - Palm Springs International Film Festival Archived 4 September 2017 "Doctor Doctor" also appeared in season one of the television series The Bold Type.The Bold Type Official Music Guide Season 1 Freeform. Archived 4 September 2017.
Discography Studio albums + List of studio albums, with selected details Title Album details Stadium Cake Released: 1 July 2016 Label: Barely Dressed (BARELY005) Formats: CD, LP, digital download I Wasn't Only Thinking About You... Released: 26 October 2018Madeline Clement (2018) "Oh Pep! Embraces Pop On 'I Wasn't Only Thinking About You...'" NPR, 18 October 2018. Accessed 28 November 2018. Label: People Speak Formats: CD, LP, digital download, streaming
EPs + List of EP, with selected details Title Album details Oh Pep! Released: 6 September 2012 Label: Oh Pep! Formats: CD, digital download II Released: October 2013 Label: Stadium Cake Records Formats: CD, digital download Living Released: November 2015 Label: Barely Dressed (BARELY004) Formats: CD, LP, digital download Oh Pep! On Audio Tree Live Released: October 2016 Label: AudioTree Formats: digital download
Awards and nominations Music Victoria Awards The Music Victoria Awards (previously known as The Age EG Awards and The Age Music Victoria Awards) are an annual awards night celebrating Victorian music.
| Music Victoria Awards of 2014 | II| Best Folk Roots Album
| Music Victoria Awards of 2015 | Living| Best Folk Roots Album
| Music Victoria Awards of 2016 | Stadium Cake'' | Best Folk Roots Album
National Live Music Awards The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse live industry, celebrating the success of the Australian live scene. The awards commenced in 2016.
| National Live Music Awards of 2019 | Themselves | International Live Achievement (Group)
Other awards In April 2014, Oh Pep! were named "Young Folk Performer of the Year" at the National Folk Festival in Canberra."Local folk acts shine" The Sydney Morning Herald (25 April 2014). Retrieved 10 April 2015Anthony Brady, "Stars on their way to Koroit Irish Festival" The Moyne Gazette (22 January 2015). Retrieved 10 April 2015
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