If you haven’t heard of Hippo Campus yet, you need to take a listen to one (or more) of their songs. We sat down with the four Minnesotans before their performance at Made in America over the weekend.
Before Jake Luppen (guitarist and vocalist), Nathan Stocker (guitarist), Zach Sutton (bassist) and Whistler Allen (drummer) came together, they were just classmates at the same performing arts school. The foursome originally started as two different bands—but fortunately for us, decided to come together as one.
After their breakout performance at SXSW, the group went on to perform at Conan just a week later. Since then, they’ve gone on tour with bands like Modest Mouse and Walk the Moon.
Oh, and did we mention that they were named “Best Newcomers” by Rolling Stone?
With all of this happening in a matter of months, Hippo Campus agreed that they haven’t really had the time to take it all in.
After reflecting, we discussed the origin of the band's name. “It came to me in a dream,” Nathan joked. Don’t interpret that as a pretentious attempt to sound interesting, because that’s not how he meant it.
Why do we know this? It's because of the group's humble demeanor throughout the interview. They were some of the funniest and most down-to-earth people we’ve ever met.
Jake sums it up perfectly: “We’re really cool fun guys”—and he’s right.
In an industry that thrives on trying to be something that you’re not in order to gain a fan base, Hippo Campus is a breath of fresh air.
It doesn’t hurt that their music is absolutely fantastic, either. From their upbeat tracks like “Suicide Saturdays” (yes – this song is upbeat) to cool, mellow ones like “The Halocine,” these guys incorporate a sense of variety while maintaining their unique sound.
During the band's set at Made in America, the only time the fans took a break from singing along was when they were yelling, “I love you!”
All four band members were actively participting throughout the show, whether it was through singing, dancing or just engaging with the audience.
With the title of performing at Jay Z’s concert series under their belt, Hippo Campus is only going to continue rising. For right now, they’re doing a run of their own shows throughout the Midwest. In October, the boys will be touring with JR JR and releasing a new EP (on the 2nd).
Until then, do yourself a favor and check them out on iTunes. We already know they're going to be HUGE, so now is the time to get on board!
Photos by Priscilla Andalia of Best Trends For Life.