Fans have been waiting with bated breath for the arrival of the alt-indie band Hippo Campus’ second album, “Bambi.” The group has been on a steady rise since the 2015 release of their first EP “Bashful Creatures,” which was chock-full of irresistibly bright and upbeat tracks that sound like sunshine.
The band’s first full-length album, 2017’s “Landmark,” continued to ride on the high of addictive, indie-pop beats their fans loved. This album and a smattering of EPs, including the beloved “warm glow” trio, solidified their signature style. The “Hippo Campus Formula” combined sweet guitar riffs with cheeky lyrics and a sunny demeanor.
“Landmark” confirmed that Hippo Campus had the whole “happy-go-lucky indie boy band from Minnesota” aesthetic down on lock. Yet, the band has experienced backlash as they branched out stylistically to create “Bambi” and felt pressure to surpass expectations for their sophomore album.
In an interview with Indie is Not a Genre (IINAG), the band’s frontman and vocalist Jake Luppen explained this new album grappled with serious topics, including mental health, the #MeToo Movement and “how toxic masculinity has influenced the way we see ourselves and the world overall,” especially in regard to vulnerability.
The band recognizes that their fan base is predominantly female, but that motivated them all the more to make an album that speaks to the emotions and insecurities of young men confined to society’s perception of masculinity.
“In the past we might have been apprehensive about being super-vulnerable, but now we’re more aware of how important it is to come forward about dealing with depression or anxiety,” Luppen told IINAG.
“Bambi” further diverged from the original Hippo Campus style by altering the band’s typical song construction in more ways than one.
The album draws the listener in with “Mistakes,” a mysterious, ethereal and almost haunting intro that fuses orchestral elements with Luppen’s meditative vocals. The escapist dream-world of albums past has been replaced with a distorted lullaby that eases its listeners into a more placid dreamscape.
These newly atmospheric, serene melodies are peppered with playful synths, Luppen’s harmonizing falsettos, a bittersweet piano and the occasional upbeat “Landscape” reminiscent drum riff. “Why Even Try” and “Think It Over” bring a sense of tenderness to the album, while songs “Bubbles” and “Golden” start off gently, but increasingly build up layers of subtle rhythm.
In “Bubbles,” a jarring glitch-like sound seems to briefly rattle the listeners from their transporting dream state before descending back into a calm, reflective state of mind.
Whistler Allen, the band’s drummer, told Billboard the lyrics for this album are about things “… that are happening more now and more in the moment, as opposed to what has happened in our lives in the past.”
The last song of the album, “Passenger,” tackles growing pains and what it’s like to be young and in love at this point in time. The song encapsulates the emotions in lyrics such as, “Spry to your feels / Keen on the way we were / But I fell ill like our friends / Corrupted by youth.”
Fragility is the main vein that runs through the heart of this 10-track record, but each song presents its own, unmistakable shade of boldness.
“Bambi” brings together traits typically thought of as opposites, such as strength and vulnerability. A song like “Anxious” tackles these insecurities and social worries head-on with lyrics such as, “I could say it right now / I could make the time / People have being hoping and I’m finally breaking open.”
Hippo Campus does not shy away from confronting the anxieties and emotions troubling this generation and uses “Bambi” to acknowledge these issues while accepting them. The boys from Minnesota continue to impress, even though they aren’t quite the same band we met back in 2015.
