Class is over. Books go away, my phone comes out of the dark depths of my backpack. I struggle to untangle my headphones while simultaneously slinging my backpack over my shoulder, heading towards the growing cascade of students in transition between classrooms. As I finally win the battle with my tangled mass of earbuds, I plug them in and hit shuffle, letting the music flow over me, my steps falling in sync with the beat.

Music has become a constant in my life since the beginning of high school. My favorite bands had a way of reading my mind, creating lyrics that describe emotions and experiences in ways I can’t. So, through the years, I have built up quite the repertoire of bands and songs that I deem worthy of longtime listening. But I’m not here to share just any good band with you. No, I’m here to talk about my all-time favorite band: Hippo Campus (HC).

Here’s a little background about HC. The four members, Jake Luppen, Nathan Stockar, Zach Sutton, and Whistler Allen met at a performing arts high school in Minnesota and formed HC their senior year. Luppen is the frontman, specializing in vocals and writing the bulk of the band’s lyrics. Stockar and Sutton are on guitar and bass respectively, with Stockar also contributing some writing. Allen rounds out the group on drums. In the early years, the band released two EPs, Bashful Creatures and South, later releasing their debut album Landmark in 2017. In 2018, they released another album, Bambi.  In 2019 they let loose Demos I and Demos II, albums of early, raw versions of familiar and new songs. 

As far as performing goes, HC frequents festivals like Lollapalooza and Summerfest as well as touring individually. In an interview with OnestoWatch, frontman Luppen says “it’s alright to just be present, and hang out and have a good show”, and clearly that’s working for them. Their performance on Conan was described as “the perfect performance” by AltPress.

Alright, now that the mundane stuff is out of the way, let’s get into my experience with the band. I can’t remember how I found them, but once I did, I started playing their music nonstop. It became my go-to for everything. Few bands are versatile enough to be enjoyed across all situations, but I stand by HC as one of those bands. 

I have so many favorite songs from them, it’s hard to pick just a few to touch on here. Off of Landmark, I love “Simple Season” and “Suicide Saturday”. Off of Bambi, I love “Why Even Try” and “Honestly”. But my all-time favorite is off of Demos II called “Ease Up Kid”. All of these songs are different in their own regard, each bringing their own unique flair to the album they’re on. Despite their individual qualities, all of HC’s music is cohesive in that deep meaning and imagery from lyrics are contrasted with music that makes you want to dance. HC makes music that combines intellect and infectious joy, taking indie-pop tunes beyond the surface level.

Let’s talk “Ease Up Kid”. Because it’s off of one of their albums full of demos, the sound quality isn’t as clear — it’s uncut, and most importantly, it’s raw. It sounds more like you are viewing a show in a grungy venue rather than through tiny headphone speakers. So when they sing words like “Ease up kid/ you’ll be fine/ Simple worries have got you/ it’s alright” it sounds more like they are singing for your personal benefit rather than being polished for the masses. Something about all their music, but this song in particular, is that it has a way of speaking to raw personal experiences. HC artfully counters deep meanings with upbeat melodies and smooth instrumentation. 

If you were to catch me in pretty much any situation in my life– driving to school, having a casual Saturday afternoon at home, on a run, etc.– you could safely assume that I would be listening to Hippo Campus.  The lyrics flow in the background of my experiences, resonating with me in a way words can’t describe. Yet, with harmony and deeply connected lyrics, my soul sings alongside them as though I was on stage during one of their intimate and profoundly moving performances.  

If you want to give Hippo Campus a listen, click here.