Following the release of their hit single, Hippo Campus fans were put on hold while the band worked tirelessly on their debut EP. After countless studio sessions and meticulous adjustments, the band emerged with 6 tracks that do the band justice.

The band announced their EP release concert at First Avenue with guest Alan Kingdom (local rap artist), and 3 weeks prior to the show, tickets had sold out. This was no surprise given that City Pages had listed Alan Kingdom and Hippo Campus as the top two finalists in the poll for “Best New Local Artists.”

Leading up to the release of the “Bashful Creatures EP,” Hippo Campus’s popularity continued to grow and spread. Soon, sites such as Neon Gold Records and others wrote raving reviews and even streamed new singles from the EP on their sites.

“Bashful Creatures” starts off with a poppy iridescent feel that is carried throughout the rest of the tracks. A tribute to all things joyous and bittersweet, “Bashful Creatures” tells many tales of heartbreak and social dilemma. While the tracks are strung together on the same relative spectrum as the group’s hit single “Little Grace,” the band was wise in choosing songs that are all unique in their own way.

Highlights on the EP include “Suicide Saturday,” a song that riddles itself on dreamy guitar riffs and a yearning for the endless summer, and “Souls” that, likewise, introduces the cleanest layering of guitar harmonies and glowing vocals that lined “Little Grace.”

“Bashful Creatures” pops and jives to the rhythm of the restless teens behind the band. Recorded so delicately that listeners could hear Espo’s nails click on the bass strings as he strummed, Hippo Campus’ songs shine even brighter due to the production value.