Hippo Campus Release Demos

Many changes happen from the idea-spark of a song to its final form on an album.  It may end up as a fully-explored evolution or it may become its complete opposite.  Very rarely, though, do fans get this inside glimpse of the music-making process.  Hippo Campus surprised their listeners this summer by releasing two albums of demo recordings.

The first batch of songs were familiar faces, coming from their 2018 album, Bambi.  Almost all of the songs from Bambi appear on Demos I (“Bubbles” being the one outlier).  Hearing the un-finished product feels like a dream.  Something is just different enough to tell, but is entirely reminiscent of what you’re familiar with. Perhaps some of the most noticeable changes are the words.  “Doubt” found tons of lyrical changes from demo to final product.  “Golden” mentions a “Naomi” as the recipient of the song.  Scavenger hunt your way through these demos and see what Bambi changes surprised you most.

Demos II, released in July, brings a collection of deep-cuts and previously unheard material.  Impossibly-tender opening track, “Chapstick”, is the first time drummer Whistler Allen takes lead vocals.  “No Poms” is the lost treasure of Hippo Campus-fandom; prior to Demos II, its existence seemed to just be the stuff of legend.  “Elephant Boys” is the keep-it-down whisper conversation that explodes when excitement can’t be contained.  Most of the songs debuted to listeners at shows throughout their 2018 tour for Bambi.  The nine recorded demos hold true to Hippo Campus’s abstract lyricism, hooky riffs, and sparkling rhythms, while introducing a vulnerable rawness. The future of these tracks? Unknown.  The band has yet to mention whether there will be album-versions produced in the future.  Until then, keep spinning these tracks and stay tuned in to RSU Radio for more on Hippo Campus.