On Sept. 28, Indie-Alt band Hippo Campus released their second album, Bambi. The album is in many ways a divergence from their previous work. While serving as a continuation of the band’s melodic vocals and complexly engaging instrumentals, it is sonically-experimental and exceedingly vulnerable.
According to lead singer, Jake Luppen, the album reflects the band’s response to recent widespread conversations, including the #MeToo movement and the broadening discussion of mental health and toxic masculinity. The album offsets the more lighthearted and simple content of Hippo Campus’ previous work in an effort to reach a level of vulnerability the band had been apprehensive of reaching in the past.
The album’s opening track, “Mistakes,” sets the tone for the album, a musical and lyrical deviation from the what fans of the band might be expecting based on their past sounds. With an almost orchestral instrumental and a lack of any grounding percussion, the song has an echoey and ethereal feel to it. Lyrically, the song sets up a foundation of vulnerability, the outro repeating: “Don’t be afraid of the way you feel.”
The deeply personal lyricism is continued through tracks such as “Anxious,” “Doubt,” and “Bambi.” “Anxious,” a rhythmically-heavy and melodically-choppy song, is an inner monologue of anxiety, delving into the emotions and struggles attached with anxiety. “Doubt,” while presenting a more upbeat instrumental, expresses feelings of insecurity in a relationship. The album’s second single, “Bambi” is very smooth and melodic, more consistent with the band’s previous music. But the upbeat nature of the instrumental is contrasted by the lyrics, which detail lead singer Luppen’s personal struggle with mental health.
Musically, songs such as “Think it Over” and “Bubbles” bring a new experimental component to Hippo Campus’ repertoire. “Think it Over” begins with a somewhat chaotic sound, the instrumental taking on no distinguishable pattern or melody. It then resolves into a more musically satisfying instrumental; a catchy motif alternating between the guitar and the vocals ties the song together, and a light, swinging percussion adds a unique rhythm to the song. Perhaps the most distinct musical deviation featured on
the album is “Bubbles.” Contrasting the more smooth instrumentals of the rest of the album, the song is choppy, with a heavily-staccatoed guitar riff. The song then briefly diverges into a loud and slightly startling section, sounding almost like heavy metal.
Although the album may not be what frequent listeners of Hippo Campus would anticipate, it features interesting qualities both musically and lyrically that make it a unique addition to the band’s repertoire; an addition definitely worth listening to.
