Written by Krysta Ayers

MAY 21, ACL Live Moody Theater—With 1.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify, you might be hard pressed to call Hippo Campus an underdog, but the band—with their alt-indie mesh of melodies that serve as a prologue to the Strokes-esque underground of the early aughts—are greatly underrated for the talent and amount of (great) songs in their catalogue. Currently on their spring ‘25 FLOOD tour, the band was back in Austin to promote their September 2024 album of the same name.

Though regular concert-goers I speak to share the same gripe that concert etiquette has been buried deep into the earth, that was not the case for the crowd in attendance. Nobody, from where I stood, was disruptive with loud chatter, or blocking views with phones held high. The Minnesota-based band immediately held attention and played for over an hour straight—no bullshit, no banter, just…music.

And, with DeCarlo Jackson on the trumpet (among other instruments), the sound projecting into the speakers boomed into our chests with a seriousness that spoke to their jazz- and opera-trained musical education. This was their art on display.

Jake Luppen (lead vocals/guitar) and Nathan Stocker (lead guitar/vocals) tag-teamed the vocals. Whistler Isaiah Allen (drums/vocals) and Zach Sutton (bass/keyboard) were the heart of the songs who kept things on beat and pulsing. The setlist covered 2017’s Landmark, dipped into 2018’s Bambi, included “Yippi Ki Yay” from the Wasteland EP and, of course, dived into the latest album, FLOOD.

The first three songs played are off the new album and examine the various emotions that come with love. There are kick-in-the-teeth lyrics like, “Do I love you / Or am I just too afraid to leave?,” which played against the backdrop of ‘80s-inspired drums and keyboards for their track “Paranoid.” And, “Told me that you love me / And I said it right back / Got a little shiver / Now I can’t relax,” in the song “Madman” that portrays a more optimistic outlook on a relationship.

One song after the other—aided by a spectacular light show (shout out to that person!)—the members shared their body of work on stage with professional grandeur. They knew their instruments, they were experts in timing, and both Nathan’s and Jake’s voices were a masterclass in key changes (Jake was the one who studied opera, by the way).

From Minnesota (I hope you read that in an accent) to Texas and the rest of the capacious nation, the band is ready to unload their heap of talent onto the stage. Question is…will you be there to watch next time?