Likely inspired by the actual death of lead singer’s Jake Luppen’s dog on Valentine’s Day of this year, musical therapy has seemed to lead Hippo Campus to inspiration.

Two and a half years after the release of their sophomore album, Bambi, and their Demos I and Demos II EPs, Hippo Campus have shared their latest single. The lead single from their upcoming Good Dog, Bad Dream EP, Bad Dream Baby is full of vibrant, funky guitar riffs that complement the juxtaposition of its less than optimistic lyrics.

Hippo Campus take listeners through the trials and tribulations of loss, religion, and nostalgia. Given the EP title, it’s no surprise dogs are a theme in the songs’ lyrical content. The song starts off as a ditty about valentine’s day but quickly turns into a lament about a dying childhood dog (“Happy Valentine’s Day to you / Hope it’s better than mine / ‘Cause my dog’s about to die, yeah”) with an existential crisis of sorts to follow. The song picks up a bit more instrumentally and rides a 60’s Beach Boys-inspired beat that has Hippo Campus’ modern signature touch.

From being in bed with the devil, parental issues, a longing for nights of partying and hanging out at pubs, and even Britney Spears, listeners are taken through it all. Likely inspired by the actual death of lead singer’s Jake Luppen’s dog on Valentine’s Day of this year, musical therapy has seemed to lead Hippo Campus to inspiration.

While the band has played the song on a few live stream events before, Bad Dream Baby is finally getting a well deserved proper studio-recorded release. Accompanied by an 80’s inspired video with just the right amount of haziness, glitches, and studio antics, the new era of Hippo Campus not only looks promising but sounds fantastic.

‘Good Dog, Bad Dream’ EP out 6th August via Grand Jury.