#jacob tracey

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ALBUM REVIEW Hippo Campus – Demos II

Hippo Campus, composed of Jake Luppen (lead vocals/guitar), Nathan Stocker (vocals/guitar), Zach Sutton (vocals/bass), Whistler Isaiah Allen (vocals/drums), and DeCarlo Jackson (trumpet), has been riding a music high since the release of their sophomore album, Bambi, just this past year. On Bambi, they take the sound forged on their debut, Landmark. and elevate it, adding synths and electronic elements, making it an instant classic in the indie genre with heavy-hitting singles and brilliant deep cuts. Since the September 2018 release, the band has been touring nonstop in support of the album, but that has not stopped them from releasing “new” music. In the past months, the band has dropped two different albums of demos titled Demos I and Demos II. Demos I, released June 14,  featured alternate versions of the tracks off Bambi while, their latest release on July 10, Demos II, is full of all-new tracks as well as a few they have been workshopping since they started touring last year!

Demos II opens with one of the songs they’ve played live on tour titled “Chapstick.” The track sounds like a blend between The Strokes with hints of Coldplay’s Mylo Xyloto era guitars and backing vocals. “Chapstick” is a brilliant mix of sounds and is a change of pace from the sound the band crafted on Bambi, which featured glossier, more polished guitars and instrumentals. The track was written by drummer and vocalist Allen for his father. The second track, titled “No Poms,” is a fan favorite and another song they have consistently played on tour, with Nathan Stocker on vocals. The track’s title was inspired by a viral video of a teacher screaming “No. Pomegranates,” at a class.  While originally the title was just a placeholder, the name stuck and perfectly captures the strange but viscerally exciting feeling the song emits.

Some other brilliant moments on this demo tape include the songs “Pin,” “Elephant Boys,” and “Champion.” “Pin” sounds like a track that would fit perfectly with Hippo Campus’ 2017 EP, warm glow. It brings back the dreamy guitars prominent on tracks like “Baseball” and “Traveler,” off warm glow as well. “Pin” is a nice nostalgia trip full of memories and gorgeous vocals from Jake Luppen. “Elephant Boys,” by contrast, is a softer and more personal track when looking at any song in the band's discography. The song captures the feeling of running through an empty city at night, thinking the world is out to get you. It’s a different vibe from the rest of the demos but has a perfect place in the Hippo Campus discography. “Champion” is the penultimate track and has a sound equivalent to combining their song “Think it Over” with any song of The Lumineers’  debut album. Featuring a prominent acoustic guitar strumming in a rocking folk rhythm, “Champion” is one of the catchiest songs on the record and can easily get you dancing within 10 seconds of pressing play.

Both Demos I and II are welcome additions to the Hippo Campus discography. They offer new looks into the musical minds of the band members and continue to push the sound of the band (even after the sound change that was Bambi). While there are no more demo tapes slated to come out anytime soon, the band has left more than enough music to last the rest of the summer filling it with jams and good vibes. 

- Jacob Tracey

[930club]

ALBUM REVIEW: AJR – Neotheater

In the opening track to AJR’s Neotheater, lead singer Jack Met sings about the band’s fear of reaching their peak and wanting to stay “…next up forever.” While that may be an honest anxiety for artists to have in today’s music world, AJR has nothing to fear. Fresh off of the success of their second studio record, The Click (2017), AJR (comprised of Adam, Jack, and Ryan Met) seemed to reach their peak creating one of the best alt pop records ever. But with Neotheater, the band surpassed all expectations in the best way possible. Neotheater took a different direction from all their previous works, diving into the minds of all three brothers and commenting on things happening in the world today. As said in a recent Instagram post made by the band, “To anyone who writes to us saying stuff like ‘stick to music, stay out of politics…’ we write our truth.” I believe that statement sums up the beauty of their newest album.

Neotheater takes a personal approach when it comes to lyrics, discussing screw-ups members of the band had in the past and the uncertainty of growing up. Their previous two albums had more upbeat party songs like “Weak,” which was an anthem about owning your insecurities and not caring about what others think. Neotheater feels like a theatrical production, with an intro track full of soaring violins and hard-hitting drums, and a finale that sounds like the perfect end to a Broadway show. Throughout the entire 44 minutes, listeners are shown that everyone has their own problems and no matter how big or how small, they affect every individual differently. While this entire album is brilliant from start to end, I want to focus on three songs specifically: “Don’t Throw Out My Legos,” “The Entertainment’s Here,” and “Dear Winter.” I previously wrote reviews on the album’s two lead singles “100 Bad Days” and “Birthday Party” that you can check out here.

“Don’t Throw Out My Legos” is the fourth track on the album and talks about something that really hit home with me and most likely with all college students listening. The song tackles the feeling of moving out of your childhood home and facing the world on your own for the first time. While most move out songs have lyrics centered around saying goodbye to friends and family, AJR talks about Legos. Specifically, Jack sings about their parents throwing out their Legos after they moved, symbolizing that they are not children anymore. To further capture that feeling, the song is full of glitched samples in the beginning, making the verses feel overwhelming and happy. But once the chorus comes around, the song shrinks down to just two voices in harmony and a piano. It’s a powerful moment and made even more emotional with the lyric “Can we keep my Legos at home? / Cause I wanna move out / I don’t wanna move on.”

The second song, “The Entertainment’s Here,” is almost an ode to the modern-day band. It acts as a nice emotional palate cleanser after a couple more personable and sad songs. The song is full of high hats and snares with a chorus of trumpets and miscellaneous sounds helping to fill the space. The pre-chorus has a brilliant moment where Jack sings, “I’ve been thinking / That too much thinking / Can probably get me down.” These lyrics capture the feeling of slowly sinking into sadness but snapping back to reality, which is how the chorus quickly changes the mood from that moment in the song. It’s one of my favorite parts about the band: their ability to sneak in clever wordplay and lyrical moments that can almost go unnoticed at first listen but offer a new look to the song.

The last song I want to touch on is the third single from the record, “Dear Winter.” The song is about Ryan Met’s future child sung by Jack. The song also takes the form of a letter, with Jack introducing each verse (letter) with “Dear Winter.” It’s a heartbreaking song about all the amazing things that Winter will experience when she is born and as she grows up, but the feeling that sometimes Jack won’t get to be there for her or grow up with her. The song further captures this emotion with it being the only acoustic guitar song on the record. With just Jack and his guitar, the song tugs on all the heart strings in all the right ways.

Neotheater is a beautiful work of art full of personal lyrics, outrageous orchestrations, and relatable themes. Since all three brothers still attend Columbia College when they are on break, hearing these words and songs sung by people in this age range adds to the experience of the album, giving you a glimpse of what’s to come, what is happening now, or a deeper look into the past. Another bonus is the fact that a lot of songs have Easter eggs referencing other songs on the album. So, go ahead and give Neotheater a couple listens — I promise you will not regret it.

- Jacob Tracey

[930club]

VOTD: Hippo Campus — “Why Even Try”

One of the key elements of Hippo Campus is their ability to blend a simple group of instruments such as bass, drums, and guitar and turn them into a sound so atmospheric and different from what is out in the music sphere today. Ever since their landmark debut Landmark (2017) (no pun intended), the band has made a name for themselves in the indie genre. Comprised of Jake Luppen (lead vocals and guitar), Nathan Stocker (guitar), Zach Sutton (bass), Whistler Allen (drums), and DeCarlo Jackson (trumpet), the group has a beautiful chemistry that translates to their sound so effortlessly. With their latest record, Bambi (2018), the group took their normal indie pop sound and added a new layer, expanding the tone of the band to a new and brilliant level. Since the release of Bambi, the band has released two music videos for “Bambi” and “Doubt,” which both showcased abstract interpretations of the songs. This theme carries over to their latest music video for “Why Even Try.”

“Why Even Try” was mostly written by Nathan and showcases the highs and lows of a failing relationship. With lines like “When I forgot you, you came to mind” and “We walk it back and patch things up,” the song conveys the feeling of wanting things to work out and doing everything to make things like how they used to be but ultimately running into the same pitfalls over and over. The video takes these ideas and expresses them through color filters and visual distortion.

The video features lead singer Jake Luppen and opens with a grainy, color-inverted shot of him staring into the camera. As the it progresses, the visuals become more colorful and distorted. Toward the middle, Jake’s face turns into a colorful outline and his eyes and mouth are replaced by stick figure-looking features. Following the idea of asking one’s self “why even try to change?”, the video visually shows how scrambled the mind becomes when one overthinks their current situation. While this video may not be as elaborate as the prior two, the simplicity of just focusing on Jake and letting the visuals tell the rest of the story really makes for an impactful and gorgeous video.

- Jacob Tracey

[930club]

VOTD: Rainbow Kitten Surprise – “It’s Called: Freefall”

“When I was a kid a wise man once told me don’t you call the devil unless you want him to come. I thought, I’m a’ fight him. I’m a’ take him one on one. Then one day I called the devil and guess what happened? It’s called ‘Freefall.’” Sam Melo, lead singer of the indie alternative band Rainbow Kitten Surprise, prefaced their song “It’s Called: Freefall” when performing at The Capitol Theater with this story. This song gives listeners a direct view into Sam’s heart and soul and gives personal insight into his life. It has become a stand-out track and a favorite amongst fans. It’s one of my favorite songs — not only by the band, but ever written. It’s haunting with its lyrics but comforting with its instrumentation. Recently, the band premiered the music video for the song on Adult Swim, and it is one of the most ambitious and gorgeous videos to come from the band.

The video was directed and animated by Anthony Francisco Shepperd. His previous works use an almost trippy style mixed with colors and visuals you would see in a Dr. Seuss and Stephen King crossover picture book. The visuals are stunning and perfectly fit the style of the song. The video opens with a couple of purple and blue dots pulsating to the rhythm of the song. As the video gives more insight to the viewer, it is revealed that these are dots on a domino. As the song progresses, we see a young boy hiding in a horse stable watching a crowd of people march by outside through the cracks in the wood. The world outside appears to be dystopian, with everyone wearing white dome masks with a neutral expression and open eye holes. The group of people march over to an open area where a brightly-colored and demonic-looking face floats into view.  

The video then cuts back to the boy in the stable, where he puts face paint over his eyes and cuts the tail off a horse to form a costume and mask similar to the ones outside. He stands in front of a mirror and cracks a whip, ready to face the devil outside. The video then transitions to one of the masked people playing a game of dominos and dropping a piece, ultimately losing. A noose then falls and tightens around his neck as the devil head floats up behind the person. Right as the rocking instrumental in the song begins, the video becomes even more trippy as the boy jumps up and breaks the person free from the noose. The boy then begins to face the devil as his face floats from person to person, almost taking over each mask on the heads of the crowd. The devil is then finally brought down and the video ends with a shot of the now-dead devil head lying on the ground and the crowd, free of their masks, looking at the creature.

This story told in just a little over two minutes captures Sam’s story perfectly. We see a world where people call on the devil and find themselves stuck to his every whim. When all hope seems lost, someone decides to fight the devil one on one, ultimately winning, but also being sent into a freefall, fighting multiple demons at once. The concept of freefall can be taken many ways, both good and bad. Sometimes people need to freefall and accept that the outcome is unknown, while other times, running into a battle head on can ultimately end in failure.

The ambiguous nature of the song and video leaves a lot up to the audience to decide, but one of the best parts of the band is the fact that the lyrics give the listener so much to think about. If you haven’t given this song or the entire album, How to: Friends, Love, Freefall, a listen, be sure to do so. Then, go check out this brilliant music video. It’s a great way to kick off 2019!

- Jacob Tracey

[930club]

NEW TRACKS: “100 Bad Days” – AJR

There is something special about the alt pop trio AJR. Composed of brothers Adam, Jack, and Ryan Met, the brothers released their first studio album, Living Room, in 2015, which made waves on pop radio. The standout single from that record, “I’m Ready,” pushed the trio up the charts significantly. Their next studio album, The Click, proved to be one of the most ambitious pop albums of 2017, followed by an equally ambitious tour. One of the key aspects of the group that keeps me, as well as many others, listening is their orchestration and way of melding so many different sounds together to make lush and gorgeous songs. Some of my favorites from them so far have been “The Good Part,” “Sober Up,” “Call My Dad,” and “Normal.” Now with so much under the trio’s belt, some may wonder what else the band could do to elevate their sound. The answer? “100 Bad Days.”

The latest single from AJR is part of the next step in the band’s evolution. It’s also the first single from their third studio album, which has no name or set release date at this time. The band made a series of three blank posts on Instagram, with the last one stating, “Welcome to Neotheater.” This is the closest hint we have to the album. But until then, AJR graced fans with another standout hit full of all the things fans love from the band along with some new elements in the mix.

“100 Bad Days” opens with a waving synth and a soft piano creating a somber but typical AJR tone. After Adam is through singing the first part of the verse, the drums come in, and the song starts to bop a bit more leading up to the amazing chorus. One of my favorite parts of this song is right before the chorus: Adam’s vocals are pitched down an octave as he sings, “A hundred bad days makes a hundred good stories / A hundred good stories makes me interesting at parties.” After this is said, the full band kicks in with trumpets, piano, bass, drums, and synths. It turns a sad idea into an anthem where listeners are reminded that you can turn bad events into entertaining stories to help overcome all the difficulties life can throw at you in any given moment.

This single has been said to be one of AJR’s most personal song to date. It tackles the difficulties experienced in the past by each of the brothers in one way or another since their time in high school. While there is not idea yet when their third album will drop, fans can continue jamming to this amazing song until then!

- Jacob Tracey

[930club]

NEW TRACKS: Rex Orange County – “New House”

Rex Orange County (Alex O’Connor) has been my favorite artist on the rise for some time now. His ability to blend elements of jazz, pop, alternative, and even hip-hop into such easygoing but intricately-crafted songs blows my mind with every song he has released. Rex made his big break when he was feature on Tyler the Creator’s most recent album, Flower Boy, (2017) on the songs “Boredom” and “Forward.” This brought attention to his debut album Bcos U Will Never Be Free (2016), which showcased a young man with a distinct yet beautiful voice and a lot to say about the world — specifically, relationships. This was a sound he would go on to expand with his second album, Apricot Princess (2017), which was more produced and used grand orchestrations, a full band set up, and a few features. Since the release of his last original single, “Lovin is Easy,” Rex did his first full world tour as well as released a special Spotify cover of “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” featuring Randy Newman. But it has been quite some time since the last time fans have heard original music from Rex Orange County…until Valentine’s Day.

With little hype and no promotion, Valentine’s Day turned out to be an exciting day for Rex Orange County fans. His first single in over a year, titled “New House,” dropped that morning with a message from Alex on Instagram where he thanked everyone for waiting and for sticking with him. “New House” follows the usual Rex Orange County theme of love and relationships, but features some new stylings that prove how well versed and incredible of a musician Alex O’Connor is.

The song centers around him and his girlfriend, Thea, and how she makes his life so easy and carefree. He goes on to talk about how he can “…see us in a house next year,” referring to their relationship growing to a stronger level. Alex also mentions his absence right from the start, with the lyric “It doesn’t come that easy anyway.” He acknowledges that, while he has been absent for a bit, songwriting isn’t an easy task and can’t be rushed. The song opens with a piano, guitar, and the sweet voice of Rex Orange County. The song grows with strings and harmonies. It starts similar to songs from his first album with a little more production. Before the second verse there is a little break, with auto-tuned vocals singing the last line of the chorus “holding it down” while the song breaks down to just piano.

After that, the song picks up into a vibe similar to “Television / So Far So Good” and “Happiness” with a distant high hat, a droning synth, and fast rap-like vocals. It’s a beautiful moment that grows with intensity as the verse goes on. Two of my favorite parts about this verse are the lines “And the extra stress isn’t necessary anyways” and “I didn’t realize I ran from the light!” Both lines feature nice, almost shouted ends with harmony that give the lyrics emotion and meaning. The verse builds into the last chorus, which features Rex and a beautiful bass line slowly adding horns and a little bit of auto tune towards the end. Lastly, the song closes with the same orchestration as the intro with slightly different lyrics. It’s a full-circle feeling that makes it easy to keep the song on repeat and jam for hours.

Alex O’Connor has created something special with Rex Orange County. It’s a sound and a feeling that comes with his songs and the stage name itself. While there has been no full mention of a new album and tour, this new single is a good sign that Rex will be back with his third album and second tour. In the meantime, it’s back to jamming to “New House” over and over.

- Jacob Tracey

[930club]

NEW TRACKS: AJR – “Birthday Party”

One of the key things about AJR that makes them such a unique group is their clever lyrics. Showcased on their second studio album, The Click (2018), the brothers expanded on their original sound not just through grander orchestrations, but also through the use of wordplay and observational comments. This is especially noticeable in songs like “Weak,” where lead singer Jack Mett sings about trying to resist certain destructive urges, or in “Call My Dad,” where Ryan Mett sings about wanting to be a kid again and the dark side of parties. No matter the song or subject, the band is no stranger to talking about things as they are, which definitely carries over to their most recent single, “Birthday Party.”

“Birthday Party” is the second single from Neotheater, out April 26, released after “100 Bad Days,” which I reviewed here. What sets their latest single apart from the rest of their songs is the ingenious mix of instruments and the clever lyrics. The song’s central theme is the thoughts of a baby one minute after they are born and the youthful innocence they have in the moment. While that may sound strange, it makes the lyrics that much more impactful and beautiful. In the beginning of the song, Jack Mett sings about how he finally gets to meet his relatives and just the pure fact of being born. As the song continues, he begins to sing about all the great things life will have in store for him even though none of them end up being true. One of my favorite lyrical moments in the song is:

“I bet my ignorance is always bliss Except ignoring pigment in our skin I bet my country’s nice to immigrants And that’s just how it is.”

It’s a powerful moment that really showcases the innocence most children have to some of the darker parts of the world and its political climate. In terms of orchestration, “Birthday Party” is one of AJR’s more abstract songs. The song opens with this almost dissonant brass riff that slowly fits into the harmonic mold as the melody and drums come in. The pre-chorus also offers a strange moment where the voices of the band become pitched up and a little distorted when they sing, “Me, my, oh what a life / So lean all my people, gon’ be stepping in time.”

After that, the song goes into the chorus, which is full of the almost big band-like orchestrations we are used to from AJR. It’s moments like the chorus in this song that make me love the band so much and shows off their ability to turn tough subjects into party songs.

AJR also recently announced their new album and a full world tour. Neotheater is set to drop April 26. The world tour starts September 20 and ends December 14, and includes a stop here in DC at The Anthem on November 21. Given these first two singles, I am not quite sure what to expect from this new album. Both “Birthday Party” and “100 Bad Days” are great in their own ways and show how the band has been crafting their sound since The Click and expanding it into new territories. Until their album comes out, keep blasting their two new singles. They will definitely be two more timeless bops among the many the band has already released.

- Jacob Tracey

[930club]

VOTD: Hippo Campus – “Doubt”

Indie alternative band Hippo Campus took a new direction with the release of their second studio album, Bambi, in 2018. Contrary to Landmark (2017), Bambi adds more electronic production to the mix — taking their normally happy and carefree sound to a more personal and moody level. The result was an almost-new sound altogether from the band, with sprinkles of their old sound throughout. One of the standout tracks from the album is “Doubt.” Speaking about the song to Billboard, frontman Jake Luppen said, “Love is universal. Unfortunately, falling in love with things that hurt you is universal too.” This idea fully captures the sound and lyrics of “Doubt.”

The video takes an interesting but beautiful approach to the song. Directed by Tomson Tee, the video follows the story of a deer falling in love with a truck. The deer is portrayed as a person with a deer mask/head on and dressed in red coat, black jeans, and a handbag. The deer is found walking alone along a city street late at night with no one else around. Shortly after walking around, a truck aggressively starts to chase the deer, catching the deer in its headlights. While the truck is attacking the deer, the deer starts to fantasize about the truck and ultimately falls in love with it. While the metaphor is odd, it captures in the best way the idea of falling in love with something that will inevitably hurt you. At the end of the video, the deer is seen riding on the truck with a rope tied around it — almost like the harness to a horse. The deer dances happily, but, with the last chord of the song, looks almost as if they had made a mistake in falling in love with the truck.

Hippo Campus has always had a knack for making abstract music videos with songs like “Bambi,” “Western Kids,” and “Buttercup.” “Doubt,” however, definitely takes a new route that gives fans better insight into what the song is about along with the overall theme of the album. It’s a gorgeously shot and well-crafted video that you should definitely check out!

- Jacob Tracey