Words by Art Jefferson
Photography by Oskar Omne and courtesy of The Happy Hippo Family
Sure the Swedish can boast about their gorgeous people and mastery of minimal design, but the one thing that is truly undeniable is the knack for churning out good pop records which seems to be embedded in the DNA of their musicians. Örebro band The Happy Hippo Family are a part of the current generation of Swedes creating indie pop tidal waves with a live show that is just as equally thrilling and dynamic.
Releasing their debut album Monacoville in 2011, The Happy Hippo Family went on to drop a number of fun singles including ‘Strange Town’, ‘Settle for Gold’ and the upbeat anthem ‘Summer Serenade’. Embraced by Japan, the band also pressed up a Japanese deluxe edition of Monacoville, as well as Cherries & Cheese, a collection of acoustic reworkings of tracks from the album.
Back with a new single entitled ‘Two Blocks Down’, as well as their second album Speed up, Sweetheart landing in 2016, The Happy Hippo Family are yet again ready to spread their energetic and joyful splash of pop goodness which is amounting to a tsunami size engulfing.
What are the origins of the band?
THHF – We’re Swedish, just like ABBA – just as good at playing as well. We are all from a town called Örebro, so that’s where we’re based. Strangely enough we were founded on an Island called Öland but that’s another story.
I read that you guys technically don’t remember how the band’s name came about. I believe you even mentioned how everyone might have been drunk when creating the name. Is that actually the case?
THHF – Yes, totally. That question always make us argue. Alcohol was definitely involved cause drinking was pretty much what we did around the time when we became a band. We lived 20 people in a summer cabin on an island during three summer months. We had a fun time and I think that the band name symbolize that time of our lives quite good – even though it’s pretty embarrassing nowadays.
Your sound is festive and big which is perfect for playing live. During the initial recording of a song, is the live show factor something that is at the forefront when writing the music?
THHF – We’ve always been good and energetic while playing live so every song that we write is aimed to suit to be played in front of a crowd. I think that most of our songs really suit both smaller clubs as well as arenas, so yes – the live show factor is important for the creative writing, definitely.
Speaking of live performances, you guys put on an excellent show. From the initial start of the band, how long did it take you to perfect your performance?
THHF – We planned our live shows long before we had enough songs to play a live set. We looked a lot on old Queen clips and wanted to do those kind of shows, even though we only played at small bars and cafes at the beginning. We did it all quite good at an early point with costume changes, climbing on speakers, hanging from roofs, a lot of confetti, etc. So I think our live shows were quite good quite early…a lot better than the songs! It is more equal today – the songs are a lot better and the show is slightly dimmed and more suitable for a band of our size. It just makes more sense.
You released a Japanese edition of Cherries and Cheese. How would you describe the energy over in Japan when it comes to your music? I would imagine that Japan is one of your big markets.
THHF – I think Japan is the market where our music have been working best in the past, but I also believe that the new songs sounds more UK-ish. Cherries and Cheese is an odd record – original single songs mixed with acoustic versions and remixes. It was weird for us but that’s just what they wished for. When our label received the album master they told us to come over. Another weird thing about Japan is the knowledge about the Swedish music scene. They asked us about local bands from our hometown that I doubt that even anyone in Sweden have heard of – and the Swedish 90’s indie scene still seem to be popular, and we sound quite like much of the bands from that time. So, yes – the energy was awesome and we’d love to get back there soon.
You recently released ‘Two Blocks Down’, which will be featured on your forthcoming LP Speed up, Sweetheart. What can your fans expect with the new album in terms of sound?
THHF – They can expect a sound that is more appealing to how we sound while playing live. More energy – less plastic and static. They can also expect better songs, without strange reggae bridges and rap outros. I would also describe the arrangements and lyrics as more grown up than before. Basically everything is better than before, we’ve erased everything that was weird and bad.
As a group who understands the craft of recording a solid pop tune, in your opinion, generally what are the elements that help to make a really strong pop record?
THHF – It’s all about melodies – they can be obvious or hidden, as long as they’re there. There’s a brilliant example in The Libertines – the more you listen, the more melodies appear. It’s like they have so many genius melodies that doesn’t appear on the first listen because they’re not performed perfectly clean, so it takes a couple of listens to understand how it really should sound. I don’t know if that’s pure genius or bad performing but it turns out so bloody good.
You recently performed in London. What cities will you be playing in 2016?
THHF – For UK we know that we’ll return to London and Brighton for a couple of dates, nothing more set up so far – but I think most negotiations will be finalized after Christmas and new years.
http://www.thhf.se/
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https://www.youtube.com/user/TheHappyHippoFamily
The Happy Hippo Family on Spotify