St.Paul, Minnesota-based indie-rock outfit, Hippo Campus, surprises fans with a cathartic new song, “Bad Dream Baby,” to announce their third EP Good Dog, Bad Dream— due August 6 via Grand Jury Music.
Videos by American Songwriter
The confessional track heralds the forthcoming project, setting the tone for what the band feels is their most vulnerable songwriting to-date.
“The lyrics are a stream of consciousness, darting between my complex relationship with my father, a Britney Spears documentary, and some older men at Grumpy’s (my favorite bar in Minneapolis) who used to hit on me,” says singer Jake Luppen. “The hook references my exit from the Mormon religion when I was 15 and the isolation felt during quarantine and the death of the dog my mom got me during my parents’ intense divorce.”
Since their inception in 2013, Luppen and his school friends, Nathan Stocker (vocals/guitars), Whistler Allen (drums), Zach Sutton (bass), and DeCarlo Jackson (trumpet) have amassed over half a billion streams. Single highlights like “Buttercup” from their 2017 debut album, Landmark, and the title track of their 2018 EP Bambi, climbed radio charts with extensive support from Alt Nation, KCRW, WXPN, KEXP, and multiple No.1 Alternative specialty singles.
“Bad Dream Baby” begins their first formal release since “Bambi.” To celebrate, the band teamed up with director David Kramer to create a lo-fi VHS-style interpretation of the new track. Filmed in Ryan Olson’s studio space in Minnesota, footage of the five members jamming brings the band’s electric live show energy to life on screen. Wielding reminiscent imagery of their 90s upbringing, they bind topics of religion, family, fate together in a kaleidoscopic soundscape.
Watch the music video for “Bad Dream Baby” below. Pre-order Hippo Campus’ new EP Good Dog Bad Dream before August 6.
Photo by Brit O’Brien
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