Hippo Campus - Wasteland EP

"How the hell did we get here?" lead vocalist Jake Luppen ponders within the opening track of a surprising new project from Minnesotan veterans Hippo Campus - and it's a great question.

Just last year, the five-piece released an alt-pop full-length, which itself followed a hyper-pop EP, a synth-driven album and a series of indie records; these guys have never been ones to stand still for too long. While at first a startling change of pace, 'Wasteland' quickly cements itself as yet another delightful showcase of the group's wide-ranging talents.

Beginning with the youthful and spritely 'Moonshine', this new endeavour is grounded entirely in natural instrumentation, a style Hippo Campus haven't tapped into for a few iterations. Charming guitar licks smooth over a thematic of growing and moving on from pain, a concept also manifesting in the cathartic chaos of 'Yippie Ki Yay'.

The energised but carefree energy of 'Honeysuckle' gives way to a rare Hippo Campus ballad in the form of 'Probably', a depressing exercise in fantasising about the new pursuits of former lovers. This is not a band you would expect to release a plain and honest break-up tune, but the abandonment of pseudo-edgy pretences is clearly the source of momentum driving the quintet down a constantly twisting road.