Hippo Campus

“Forever giants of the indie-pop scene, Hippo Campus are no strangers to euphoric riffs, sweetly sad compositions and emphatic moments of explosive bliss” The Line Of Best Fit

“Cathartic” Pitchfork

“Blissful indie rock” Rolling Stone

"Forward-thinking" NPR

"Band’s expertise in toeing the line between full-on alt-pop banger and plaintive ballad" Billboard

“Bouncy indie melodies and gigantic pop hooks” DIY

“Hippo Campus embrace sonic chaos” Dork

“Indie superstars” Gigwise

"Dancing shoes are a must at their live shows" NYLON

"One of the best bands in the United States" BBC Radio 1

Today, Hippo Campus release ‘Yippie Ki Yay’, the second single off their forthcoming EP Wasteland that arrives April 14th via Grand Jury Music. The anthemic track’s energy is in juxtaposition with the lyrics that read as poignant prose; with sprawling guitar riffs, dynamic drums and honeyed vocals from frontman Jake Luppen, it bridges the gap between their new soundscape and the band’s last studio album LP3 that was released in 2022. 

The single is accompanied by a vivid, stop-motion style visualizer directed by Julian Gross. Of the release, Hippo Campus says, “we initially started writing this song 6 years ago. it’s a story within a story. the narrative follows a character who has been outlawed but zooms out in each chorus to the perspective of the characters writing the story. it deals with “giddying up” in the sense that we gotta keep on keeping on despite not knowing what the fuck we’re doing a lot of the time.

“Imposter syndrome. the etymology of the word “yippie” is not commonly agreed upon, but in the 1936 song “I’m an Old Cowhand (From the Rio Grande)” written by Johnny Mercer about a changing landscape of the traditional cowboy portrait, the lyrics seem applicable to our current state of affairs, perhaps the human condition; the constant observation and resistance to social change. the ugly reflection of a faux cowboy not knowing how to actually, really, truly rope a steer."

The five songs collected on Wasteland are totems of friendship, hardship, heartbreak, and, ultimately, perseverance. It’s dispatched from an unnamed disaster spread out across the Midwestern plains; the band was heavily inspired by country music, the way that songwriting gets straight to the point, and using that straight-forwardness, imagery, and dark humor as a vehicle for talking about the grief, loss, and love they’ve collectively experienced in the past year. Wasteland was recorded with longtime friend and collaborator Caleb Wright (Samia, Miloe, Baby Boys), and is the first batch of new music from Hippo Campus since the release of LP3. The songs were written mainly in Minneapolis, then recorded at Asheville’s Drop of Sun studios.

With their catalog at 900 million streams and two gold singles, Hippo Campus will embark on an extensive North American tour this year with support from Gus Dapperton and Charly Bliss - both acts will join the bill for their sold-out show at Red Rocks Amphitheatre ahead of their plays at the Central Park Summerstage in New York and Bonnaroo.

Hippo Campus’ ‘Yippie Ki Yay’ is out now via Grand Jury and available on all digital platforms.

Hippo Campus is Jake Luppen (vocalist, guitarist), Nathan Stocker (vocalist, guitarist), Whistler Allen (drummer), Zach Sutton (bassist), DeCarlo Jackson (trumpeter)