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Alive in Chicago
Rock · 2015

Alive in Chicago

Hippo Campus

A high-voltage capture of the band's early era, where jagged math-rock guitars and triumphant trumpet blasts collide with raw, soaring vocal harmonies.

December 25, 2015 · Transgressive Records

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Alive in Chicago captures Hippo Campus at their most kinetic and unvarnished. Recorded during the peak of their early EP cycle, the album strips away the studio sheen of their debut recordings to reveal a band that functions as a single, breathing organism. The guitars are the primary engine here, weaving intricate, interlocking patterns that feel both disciplined and dangerously close to falling apart. It is the sound of four young musicians discovering exactly how much noise they can make together in a small room.

Moments Worth Listening For
The sudden explosion of the trumpet melody during South that triggers a roar from the crowd.
The way the lead guitar and bass sync up in a complex, math-rock inspired riff during the bridge of Suicide Saturday.
A moment of near-silence in Little Grace where the room's acoustics take over before the final chorus hits.
Where This Album DepartsEach spoke is a trait. The orange shape shows where this album pulls away from — or holds to — the rest of the artist’s catalogue. Tap for more.

How does Alive in Chicago sound next to the rest of Hippo Campus's catalogue?

Triumphant+4.0σ

Triumphant saturates this record far more than the artist's norm.

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