From Adversity To Art: Hippo Campus Announces ‘Flood’ & Shares ‘Paranoid’ Single

Hippo Campus confirmed a new album, Flood, due out on September 20 through Sylvan Esso’s Psychic Hotline label. The band hailing from the Twin Cities area also shared the single, “Paranoid.”

Hippo Campus’ creation of Flood was a journey to say the least. Following the release of their previous record, 2022’s LP3, the band began to process the unexpected death of someone they loved.

“The whiplash of adulthood was amplified by the effects of death, dejection, addiction and anxiety, so they committed themselves to the overwhelming ambition of creating something profound and life-changing,” as per press materials for the album. “They got sober together, maintained their regular routine of group therapy, wrote more than 100 songs, took a step back and suddenly realized they didn’t actually enjoy what they were making.”

Realizing they needed a reset, Hippo Campus—singer/guitarist Jake Luppen, guitarist Nathan Stocker, drummer Whistler Allen and bassist Zach Sutton—scrapped what they had been working on. They then convened with longtime producers Brad Cook (Bon Iver, Waxahatchee) and Caleb Wright (Charly Bliss, Samia) at the renowned Sonic Ranch studio near El Paso.

Less than two weeks later, the band had Flood in the can. Hippo Campus previously shared album tracks “Tooth Fairy” and “Everything at Once” and now follow with “Paranoid.”

“‘Paranoid’ is the collection of sun flares plastered against your eyelids after falling asleep outside,” the band stated of the new track. “What’s left of whipping shitties in your self-conscious for too long. It’s a hard look in the unforgiving mirror and the sobering realization that not all questions have answers.”

Watch the music video for “Paranoid” below:

Flood Tracklist:

1. Prayer Man
2. Paranoid
3. Fences
4. Everything At Once
5. Flood
6. Corduroy
7. Slipping Away
8. Brand New
9. Tooth Fairy
10. Madman
11. Forget It
12. Closer
13. I Got Time