Hippo Campus: Landmark 12"

There’s a moment in growing up when it becomes clear that the road you walk is your own to cultivate.” A surprisingly profound sentiment for a band of 21-year olds. Nevertheless, it’s a sentiment that animates much of landmark, the debut album from Minneapolis’ HIPPO CAMPUS. From the resplendent “Way It Goes,” a guitar led gallop about the Instagram-filtered church of cool, to the propulsive “Boyish,” a horn-kissed rumination on children of divorce, Landmark is shot through with a woozy dissonance between precocious wisdom and old-as-time coming of age stories. The result is a messy, brave, and earnest whole—not to mention, a tectonic shift forward for a young band still discovering itself. Of course, that should come as no surprise. Hippo Campus—comprised of vocalist/guitarist JAKE LUPPEN, guitarist/vocalist NATHAN STOCKER, bassist ZACH SUTTON, and drummer WHISTLER ALLEN—have done their fair share of growing up since forming in late 2013. Their pair of 2015 EPs, Bashful Creatures and