Oginalii

Oginalii is comprised of Emma Hoeflinger, Ryan Quarles, Simon Knudtson, and Emma Lambiase. Together, they create a sound that can’t be pinned down; sludgy-psyche-rock meets technical talent that surpasses initial expectations.

Hoeflinger refers to their debut album Cause & Affection as a story of the plight of having empathy, and the endless journey to understanding both one’s darkness and one’s light. Hoeflinger shares ideas of the existential self and how the root of good and evil are one in the same. This theme is recognized through hauntingly beautiful vocals that entangle themselves in dirty guitar riffs and breakdowns.

The ethos of Punk and Desert Rock has obviously permeated the band’s upcoming album. Not only in the sound, but, more importantly, the unexplainable feeling, the intangible energy and gritty passion that reverberates through the air at Oginalii’s live shows. Head bang to your heart’s desire, but the message of the music is something much deeper. Cause & Affection is the beginning of the focused, forward motion of the band: where they’ve been, where they are, and what is yet to come. As Hoeflinger says “I wouldn’t be myself if I didn’t say this... There and back again, an Oginalii tale, that is Cause & Affection. The record is about growing up, losing yourself, finding yourself again, and wishing you were elsewhere - all while learning to love who you’re looking at in the mirror and understanding that the greatest gift we have as humans is empathy”.