Tag: hippo campus

Hippo Campus – “landmark”

By: Matthew Jadlowski

Hippo Campus’ debut album landmark is set to be released February 24. However, on Sunday, February 12, at The Electric Fetus in Minneapolis, the band had an in-store show and signing for the release of their album’s exclusive blue vinyl.

The record opens with the ethereal “sun veins.” The short song draws the listener into the newly developed sound of the band, and transitions into the familiar “way it goes.” Side A includes songs like “epitaph,” featuring vibrant synth sounds and vocal alterations, which seem to be influenced by Bon Iver while still maintaining the classic Hippo youthfulness as the song gains momentum; and “western kids,” which has the upbeat, fun summer feeling of past favorites like “Sophie So”, and a song structure that is also reflective of those on past EP, Bashful Creatures. The positive energy of this song seems to look to the band’s bright future by mentioning the love of their transition “from the ‘burbs to the streets.”

Side B of the vinyl opens with singer Jake Luppen’s smooth falsetto on “poems” which transitions into a beautiful instrumental and later adds a powerful vocal with heavy guitar. This dynamic song introduces the both more somber, and up-beat pop rock sound of Side B which includes already released tracks “monsoon” and “boyish.” The vibrant lyrics and steady drums of “vacation” tell a story of struggle and mystery of finding one’s self cloaked in a dreamlike, but positive sound. “interlude” then offers a pause in the album that includes deep drums as well as brass by DeCarlo Jackson, with an overall feel of freedom and passion that sounds much more like an old Edward Sharpe song. The album concludes with “buttercup” which has all the elements of any favorite Hippo song; upbeat and robust guitar riffs, a rhythm that can be danced to, and passionate lyrics and vocals which eventually lead up to a powerful yell of “I’ll be fine, I’m alright, it’s my body/gonna stick to my guns like you taught me.”

The album overall has a new and polished sound compared to past EPs. The lyrics are deeply poetic and the music is both nostalgic and hopeful for the future. Though the band has grown and matured a lot since Bashful and South, the songs are all authentically and distinctly Hippo Campus. landmark is available everywhere February 24. The band kicks off a spring tour in support of the album on February 15.

Hippo Campus – University of St. Thomas 10/01

Hippo Campus at UST: A Modern-day Miracle
By: Elli Dubanoski

On October 1st, Hippo Campus graced UST with their presence. It would be beyond fair to say that my expectations were high, yet somehow Hippo Campus met them all. Their palpable high energy and catchy songs made the floor shake enough to cause concern. The whole crowd was immediately and continuously engaged, hanging on to every upbeat note that was played.

The entire concert, put together by STAR, was a perfect exemplification of UST values. Halfway through, a female student threw her bra onto the stage where Hippo Campus’ Nathan then put it on, before later draping it over his microphone for the remainder of the concert. The crowd of students responded with loud cheers when lead singer, Jake, introduced one of their new songs by saying, “It’s about alcohol.” Also, shout-out to the kid who crowd-surfed.

The band performed all their older hits and played plenty of new material before ultimately closing the night with their song “Violet”. Even when the band left the stage, students refused to disburse and continued yelling for an encore until the lights went out. Hippo Campus’ performance is easily one of the best things to happen to UST and will be difficult to top at next year’s Homecoming concert.

Photo credit: Grace Lomauro