The aptly titled third studio album from Saint Paul, Minnesota’s own indie rock band Hippo Campus is filled with vibrant and layered guitars, smooth as silk vocal harmonies, and plenty of reasons to get excited for their latest direction in their sound. Having just released an EP called Good Dog, Bad Dream last year, this young band appears to have no limitations in their creativity and approach to their music in general. I really enjoyed their last full-length effort, Bambi, and their debut called Landmark made me a lifelong follower of their music, yet with LP3 I couldn’t help but feel a little unfulfilled. This was the first album I didn’t love from first listen, and yet there’s plenty to like on this record that has expanded the possibilities of this band’s music. Time will tell if some of the feelings I have on future spins of this album leave me with a better outlook on this LP.

On Hippo Campus latest offering, Bambi, they continue to stretch out their unique brand of indie rock and get their audience to come along for every note of the thrilling LP. Hippo Campus have plenty of credibility and accolades to their name in just a short amount of time, and they could have gone any number of directions with their second full-length album. What we are left with is hard to classify, yet incredibly strong, work of art from the five-piece group from St. Paul, Minnesota.

The album opener, “Mistakes,” begins with a softly sung, and almost faint, vocal delivery while the midway point begins to bring on the other samples and noise elements that are prominent on this record. “Anxious” follows this introductory track with the quirky brand of Indie/Emo rock that we have grown accustomed to from the band over the years, while still bringing in fresh elements to the Hippo Campus sound. The first real hook that got me sucked into this record is when singer Jake Luppen shouts, “Tried screaming but I won’t believe it/I’ll tell them what they want to hear then/Just give me a week or two to find it/Then maybe we’ll get back to the place we started.” This is precisely what anxiety feels like making you do: screaming from the inside, all the while doubting yourself that it was the right path to take.

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