We first got acquainted with Hippie Trim in 2019, when they popped seemingly out of nowhere and made a big buzz around their name, selling out their first show ever, doing a show run with Drug Church and releasing a very promising debut, "Cult". 2022 finds the Rhine & Ruhr-based outfit in renewed shape, ready to reveal to the world their sophomore album, "What Consumes Me".
The three years between the releases appear detrimental for Hippie Trim; you see this new album isn't just about picking up where they left off, which they do quite successfully, but establishing an identity that sets them apart from their peers. And while "Cult" was anything a first album could ever hope to be, "What Consumes Me" cements its legacy. The sound still dabbles into the melodic hardcore patterns that we know, the gripping emotions and the alteration of dreamy clean and crushing harsh vocals, but brings out a much more mature approach. They are able to tip toe around personal issues while adding small ounces of dark humor, and manage to create an escapist landscape instead of overwhelming the listener. And most importantly -they remain relatable. If we talk favorites, then "Pain Ball", "Dead Heat", "Fade" and "Steady Dreaming" are definitely my cryptonite and the songs I found myself returning to the most.
With "What Consumes Me", Hippie Trim proves that no matter how important their musical influences may have been to finding a direction, it's not until they overcame them that they shaped a character of their own. They appear more grown-up, more focused on the task in hand and in some instances hauntingly relevant. Despite releasing this album a good decade after the melodic hardcore genre reached its peak, the teachings of that scene have been passed on and its legacy is safeguarded. Hippie Trim are effortlessly riding the wave of its expansive revival, and here to claim a spot that they rightly deserve.
9/10
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