Every Monday, Spotify curates a playlist with twenty to thirty new songs based on your previous history. The playlist, titled ‘Discover Weekly,’ is created for each individual listener, and I absolutely adore them.

I look forward to it every week, as silly as that sounds. It’s such a small, simple thing that brings me joy. A good playlist sets the tone for the week; I spend each day listening to a couple of songs from it, determining which ones I like and which ones I don’t. I usually like almost all of them.

These playlists introduce me to new, unique artists or bands, and it was a couple of months ago that one of them led me to the band Hippo Campus.

I was instantly entranced by one of their songs from their first album, Landmark, which was released in 2017. Each song in the thirteen-track album had a drastically different sound to it. I, someone who completely despises change, actually liked the inconsistency of the album.

Because I was hooked to their captivating sound like a fish to a worm, I wanted more. More of their mellow melodies. More of their poetic phrases. More of their impressive instrumentals.

Luckily, my need for more was fulfilled a couple of days ago when I binge-listened their recent album release, Bambi.

I was happy, to say the least. The cliche phrase, “music to my ears,” actually applies to their latest album. The rich harmonies and electronic sound were a bit different than their previously poetic and mellow album, but that inconsistency was not a surprise.

With each click of the next song, I was submerged in a different world. The unpredictable sounds and melodies of each song transformed me to a different location; I started the album in one place and ended it somewhere completely new. 

The album kicked off with “Mistakes,” an ethereal song that belongs in meditation or yoga rooms. The calming, long-toned instrumentals accompanied with the beautiful harmonies made for a perfect opener to the album.

“Anxious” and “Doubt” followed, two titles that are synonyms in name but antonyms in sound. “Doubt” is high-energy and crisp; it sounds like the first bite of a freshly-picked apple. “Anxious” is relaxed and soft, but it has its moments in the chorus when harsh lyrics break through the seamless sound.

This album had a lot of amazing songs, but the finale of the ten-track album was probably my favorite. “Passenger” was the epitome of road trip songs. I picture listening to it on the silent highway in the middle of the night, with only the lights emitting from the car buttons illuminating the otherwise midnight-black car.

Simply put, Bambi was unbelievably incredible. I fell in love with Hippo Campus’s sound months ago, and I continue to find new meaning in old lyrics and new appreciation for the songs I listen to on repeat. I am so grateful that Spotify introduced me to such a breathtaking band with two albums of excellent music.