The unique and catchy style of the alternative band, “Hippo Campus,” is what earned popularity among West Linn High School students. The band recently debuted their new Extended Player (EP), “South,” Oct. 7, leaving fans excited for the whole album.
“I really like the new EP,” Katie Jones, junior, said. “My favorite song is , ‘Close to Gold’, but it’s so hard to just pick one.”
On “South,” there are five songs, “Close to Gold,” “Dollar Bill,” “South,” “Violet” and “The Haloline.”
Hippo Campus has another album “Beautiful Creatures” that released earlier this year.
“I’ve been a fan of the band for about eight months,” Jones said. “A bunch of my friends and I saw them open for ‘Jr. Jr.’ at the Wonder Ballroom. They were awesome.”
“Hippo Campus was so good,” Kate Walters, junior, said. “I thought they were the best part of the entire show.”
The band hails from St. Paul, Minn., and has playing together for about two years.
After listening to the first song, “Close to Gold,” I was immediately hooked. Their music has a much different sound than most other alternative bands. With their electrifying combination of pop and indie, their music stands out from the crowd. The tones in the songs are clear and the guitar and drums are not overpowering, which is a problem in a lot of alternative music. I am hopeful than “Hippo Campus” will become a larger band because of their popularity with a teen crowd.
“I hope ‘Hippo Campus’ can gain some popularity,” Jones said. “I think their new music and the fact that they are opening for Jr. Jr. will help them eventually become the headlining band.”