In the years between 2018’s Bambi and LP3, Minneapolis’ Hippo Campus – made up of vocalist guitarists Jake Luppen and Nathan Stocker, drummer Whistler Allen, bassist Zach Sutton, and trumpeter DeCarlo Jackson – has grown up and into itself. Although the five-piece has been friends since middle school and put out a number of studio releases since its inception, it’s the new record, “LP3″, that’s the most honest portrait of who Hippo Campus is.
After a short hiatus, Saint Paul’s Hippo Campus return with a third studio album that marks a subtle but important shift in direction. The puppyish indie-pop energy of their first two records ‘Landmark’ and ‘Bambi’ (released just eighteen months apart) is more subdued and controlled on ‘LP3’, taking a backseat to a more mature exploration of individual and collective identity.
“LP3″ is, their strongest and most complete work yet – a freshly-inked portrait excavating young adulthood and identity and, more importantly, how that personal identity fits into a larger camaraderie. It looks at how growing up can just feel like something that’s always moving past you when you’re trying to grab a hold of it; it’s a push-and-pull of letting go or holding tighter – and figuring out what matters the most. Through cinematic, sonic clarity, “LP3″ is a sweeping account of courage and tenacity; tender-hearted stumbling that leads you on the right path after all.
“LP3” released February 4th:
The Fat Angel Sings 