by Marco Ovies
I cannot stress how impressed I am with the Good Dog, Bad Dream, Hippo Campus latest EP. Each album the band drops brings something new to the table, and Good Dog, Bad Dream is no exception to that trend. If anything, this is the most experimental the band has gotten while staying true to their original sound.
It’s difficult to not hear the hyper-pop inspiration behind songs like “Deepfake” and “Mojo Jojo” while other songs incorporate vocal harmonies filtered through autotune similar to artists like Bon Iver and Francis and the Lights. Of course, frontman Jake Luppen did play guitar on Bon Iver’s track “Hey Ma” so that might explain the influence he has had on Hippo Campus’ music.
“Mojo Jojo” is the most unique on the album, and it sounds like The Beatles had written a hyper-pop song. Specifically, the scream and guitar are nearly identical to the start of “Revolution” by The Beatles. But while the band draws influence from all these different sources, Hippo Campus stays true to their unique sound and shows mastery over their music. There is no denying that this EP is unmistakably Hippo Campus in the best way possible.
Hippo Campus can’t seem to not write great music, and a new album is anticipated in the near future. Be sure to keep an eye out for new music from the band.
Attuned 