Following the release of Landmark in 2017, the indie band Hippo Campus released their sophomore album titled Bambi on Sept 28. Bambi features ten songs including the singles “Passenger,” “Bambi,” and “Golden” which were released prior to the rest of the album.

Compared to previous releases, the band’s new songs touch more on their current lives and emotions, while their older songs are more about their adolescence.

Bambi is coined as the album created not by one band, but by four individuals; all members of the band isolated themselves from one another, each of them writing their own songs. They then joined together to discuss which would be on the album. Creating in this manner ensures that there is a piece of each member on at least one song.

Hippo Campus continues to show their diversity as both musicians and as a band as they play different instruments throughout the album. On one particular song titled “Doubt,” bass player Zach Sutton plays the keyboard while lead singer and guitar player Jake Luppen takes over for him on bass.

With that being said, the album isn’t a typical Hippo Campus record. Instead of their songs beginning with their usual riffs, they instead feature atmospheric melodies accompanied by synths and a more electronic sound.

Bambi opens with “Mistakes,” containing a mysterious ambiance featuring orchestra-like harmonies that make you feel as if you are being taken to church. Each song is saturated with new sounds, but the album still manages to align with the band’s alt-indie roots. The transition from “Think It Over” into “Bubbles” builds up to a sudden climax where it briefly deviates from the previous, more lighthearted synths to roaring, distorted ones before abruptly stopping.

The album consists of upbeat riffs heard in the songs such as “Passenger,” “Honestly,” and the title song “Bambi,” which contrast with the darker, heavier lyrics tackling topics such as anxiety, self-reflection, and vulnerability.

Overall, Bambi demonstrates the growth of the band in this ten track journey in which the members wear their hearts on their sleeve with each song. The carefully layered melodies, angelic vocals, and euphoric synths of their sophomore album create a sound divergent from all other Hippo Campus releases, and is definitely one worth listening to.