The Hippos

The Hippos was formed in 1997 in Orange County (California, USA) around singer/guitarist/songwriter/producer Ariel Rechtshaid. The latter is surrounded by ska musicians with a touch of originality, notably by the contribution of a percussionist (who is none other than Brandon Bairian, who worked with The Specials and The Toasters) and a keyboard. There are many trumpets and trombones, but more generally only on stage because the band knows a lot of people coming and going. That same year, the band released its first album Forget The World, which is very cleverly composed of ska, punk and pop. Two years later, the band published Heads are Gonna Roll, which sounds quite loud as the first album but without percussionist and with more synthesizer. This second album marks a start of recognition for the band that is being offered for the first time a clip with the title "Wasting my life" that will shoot a lot on MTV. In 2002, the band announced its separation, but in mid-year the band changed its future a bit and decided to record a final album before separating. Thus born the eponymous album, which thus represents the will of the band.
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