HIPPO CAMPUS - EP REVIEW

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Hippo Campus - Good Dog, Bad Dream EP
(Grand Jury)

Release Date: Out Now

I discovered/feel in love with Hippo Campus thanks to recent single 'Bad Dream Baby' which opens this EP with it's perky, chiming riff and stream of consciousness confessional lyrics. The Minnesotan quintet ramble on about Valentine's day, parents splitting up, a dog's death and the odd relationship between Britney Spears and her father. It shouldn't work but it absolutely does so the rest of the EP must be worth a listen, right? Damn right. 

'Deepfake' is a little more dreamy in melody but the urgent beat keeps the tempo high as frontman Jake Luppen sings "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, fuck all the celebrities you're idolising over" - it's an irresistible ride. On 'Sex Tape' there's a laid back, faux reggae vibe wrapped up in alt-pop tones that make you want to dance on a white beach in a bad Hawaiian shirt drinking spirits from the bottle like you're a superstar. The tone shifts on 'Where To Now', however, as a Cure-esque guitar sound and sparse drum set the scene for a song that has a moody, Vampire Weekend meets the Maccabees feel that is as luxurious as it is gloomy. 

The EP closes out on 'Mojo Jojo', a wonderfully lo-fi track that sounds like it was recorded on a bastardised Super Nintendo with the aim of creating emotion from glitchy sounds and recording vocals on your phone (not a good phone, like a landline with poor signal to the handset). The wonderful thing about Hippo Campus is that they pack so much in to a relatively short space as though they're running out of time. This EP is five songs in fifteen minutes but the songs are strong, the lyrics diverse and the influences eclectic - what more could you ask for? 


Live Dates: 

18th Aug - Duluth, MN - Water Is Life - Stop Line 3 (w/ Bon Iver)
9th Sept - Raleigh, NC - Hopscotch Music Festival
10th Sept - Asheville, NC - The Orange Peel
11th Sept - Chattanooga, TN - Moon River Festival
18th Sept - Denver, CO - Westword Music Festival

17th Feb - Madison, WI - The Sylvee
18th Feb - Chicago, IL - The Riviera Theatre
19th Feb - Indianapolis, IN - Egyptian Room
21st Feb - St. Louis, MO - The Pageant
22nd Feb - Tulsa, OK - Cain’s Ballroom
24th Feb - Atlanta, GA - The Eastern
25th Feb - Nashville, TN - Brooklyn Bowl
28th Feb - Philadelphia, PA - The Fillmore

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