I am admittedly late to the Hippo Campus train.
Before their 2018 hit “Bambi,” the band produced and released music for several years. They had already made a name for themselves in the indie scene with a few hits, including their most recognized song, “Buttercup,” which had reached number one in streaming. However, Bambi and their subsequent releases of the Demos I, Demos II, Good Dog, Bad Dream, and LP3 reeled me in and made me a self-admitted fan girl. Their indie-rock meets sorta-hyper-pop and rambling lyrics that might-mean-nothing but could mean everything was instantly appealing. My favorite example is “Where To Now” from Good Dog, Bad Dream, where Nathan sings about finding crocodile drawings under his bed, but “none of them were green because none of them are.” WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
I was skeptical when they released their lead single from the latest EP, Wasteland. In place of the synths and vocal processing from “Boys” appear acoustic guitars and a… country tone? Their second single, “Yippie Ki Yay,” will probably feel more familiar to long-time Hippo Campus fans. The song remains steadfast in portraying a cowboy’s journey through an unfamiliar and challenging desert.
Via their recently updated Spotify bio, the boys outline the thought process behind their change in sound, saying, “…the band was heavily inspired by country music, the way that songwriting gets straight to the point, and using that… as a vehicle for talking about grief, loss, and love they’ve collectively experienced in the past year.”
Recorded in Asheville, North Carolina, the five-song EP has proved that Hippo Campus lets their love for music and experimentation lead them to create new sounds for their fans to enjoy. Make sure to check out the new EP and witness the next era of Hippocampus.
daybreak 