Australian alt-pop multi-instrumentalist duo Olivia Hally and Pepita Emmerichs, who perform as Oh Pep! (see what they did there?), released a new album in June, Stadium Cake, their first proper full length, via Dualtone Music Group.
The pair met in school in 2009, and have been making music together since; while they are not related, they might as well be. Hally and Emmerichs are inspired by the same things, appreciate the same kinds of music, finish each other’s sentences, and their voices blend seamlessly—whether they are talking or singing. “I remember the first week we met, we began talking about playing music together,” recalls Hally. “I’m a big nerd, and I took notes during our phone conversation about it; I was realizing it all in this phone call, and I still have that piece of paper. It’s incredible to look at, it was a really pivotal moment for us.”
While it took several years to get a full length recorded and released, Oh Pep! has been consistently recording and touring. “I guess we were just really into making EPs for a while,” says Emmerichs with a laugh. “We were still developing the band, and it just felt right to do the full length—the material felt right, and the direction led us to put more songs together.”
“It wasn’t a daunting process because we had so much studio experience already, it was an easy and natural progression,” she adds. “The only difference was this time we tracked the album instead of playing it live, which is how we’d done everything previously. It gave us more time in the studio to create a unique sound.”
Oh Pep! has embarked on an extensive tour to support the release of Stadium Cake, which will bring them to Nashville to perform on Thursday, August 4th at The High Watt. “We’ve been to Nashville before, to play and to hang out, it’s a pretty great place,” declares Hally. “I have to eat Mas Tacos there, I love it,” admits Emmerichs of Nashville hotspot Mas Tacos Por Favor. “Anytime we do anything in Nashville, we have to leave an hour earlier so that we can collect Mas Tacos along the way.”
The duo admits that this tour is their most rigorous yet; “We’ve developed the ability to nap anywhere. If we didn’t have that, life would be harder,” laughs Hally. “For the last three years, we’ve been away from Australia for at least five months a year. We’re finding our groove with the hardcore touring thing. It’s becoming a habit, a really exciting one.”
Purchase tickets to the Nashville show here.
Purchase Stadium Cake: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/stadium-cake/id1093193397
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