Hippo Campus Preview
Author: Allison Hartwig
“Wisconsin pines, collaborating with the day glow vibes An altruistic breed of travel guide It's chill, but lord knows you're trying”
The lyrics most dear to Wisconsin hearts from one of their most popular songs, “Way It Goes”, Hippo Campus creates a sunshine filled melody to make anyone smile. Performing on Friday, April 26 in Madison at The Sylvee, the group is sure to play this song and many other fan favorites as part of their Bambi Tour. Hailing from St. Paul, Minnesota, members Jake Luppen, Nathan Stocker, Zach Sutton, Whistler Allen and DeCarlo Jackson have not been in Madison since April 2017, when it was their last stop on their North American Landmark Tour.
Hippo Campus, active since 2013 have only released two full-length albums but already seen immense success. After appearing at SXSW, on KCRW and KEXP in 2015, the band's popularity skyrocketed. They went on to play Lollapalooza, Summerfest and eventually Bonnaroo music festivals and have toured all around the globe.
Their most recent release, Bambi, came out in September 2018, and has marked a high for the group. Featuring deeper, darker songs and a harder edge compared to their first album Landmark, Bambi shows the groups mature side and their progression as artists. With their signature upbeat feeling in tracks like Golden and the title track, Bambi, the band pairs perky melodies with even more instrumentation and meaningful songwriting. The opening tracks Mistakes, Anxious and Doubt, cut at the meaning of the words and make the listeners feel more than they ever have with Hippo Campus. Their aura has changed from the recognizable sound heard on Landmark to something more weathered and layered, without losing themselves and their roots too much.
The show starts at 8:30 on Friday night, with support from Samia as a special guest opener. Hippo Campus is sure to play a great show, filled with smiles and sunshine.
