Oh Pep!

Oh Pep! creates a sound that feels simultaneously grounded and airborne. At its core, the music is built on the virtuosic interplay between Olivia Hally’s warm, inviting vocals and Pepita Emmerichs’ agile mandolin and violin work. It is folk music that has been meticulously polished into pop gems, characterized by unexpected rhythmic shifts and a sense of restless curiosity. The songs often feel like internal monologues turned outward, capturing the small, sharp details of modern life and relationships.

What truly sets them apart is their refusal to stick to folk tropes. While they use traditional instruments, their arrangements are closer to chamber pop or math-rock in their precision. You will hear staccato strings acting as percussion and vocal harmonies that wrap around each other with mathematical accuracy. There is a playful intelligence at work here; the lyrics are often funny and poetic, avoiding the self-importance that can sometimes plague the indie-folk genre.

Start with their debut album, Stadium Cake. It perfectly captures their transition from a stripped-back duo to a more expansive, cinematic sound. Tracks like 'Doctor Doctor' showcase their ability to turn a folk foundation into an infectious, driving anthem without losing the intimacy that makes their songwriting so resonant.