Many of them played in other bands (Blatant Youth/Whistle Kid; Danger, Will Robinson/Northern) before uniting as Hippo Campus, a name Nathan Stocker chose while in psychology class.

[10] On November 18, 2014, Hippo Campus independently released their EP titled, Bashful Creatures,[11] produced by Low's Alan Sparhawk.

[13] The EP featured two singles, "Little Grace" and "Suicide Saturday",[14] and Hippo Campus did live sessions at KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic,[15] and KEXP.

[18] On August 30, 2015, the band's song "The Halocline" was featured in the series finale of the TNT series Falling Skies[19] and later they toured with Modest Mouse,[20] Walk the Moon,[21] The Mowgli's, Rubblebucket, Vacationer, My Morning Jacket, and they made an appearance at Lollapalooza in Chicago,[13] Summerfest in Milwaukee, Rock the Garden in Minneapolis,[22] and Reading and Leeds Festivals in the United Kingdom.

[26] Landmark was described by the Minneapolis Star Tribune as "loaded with thickly cushioned ambiance, billowy melodies and concisely written songs.

[29] They played a sold-out show at the iconic venue First Avenue in March 2017, and then Hippo Campus embarked on an international headline tour.

Once again produced by BJ Burton,[33] the Boston Globe noted that it was "a massive step forward" as the band used more synthesizer and programmed drums.

In Fall 2018, they performed at venues like Chicago’s Riviera Theater[39] and New York City’s Terminal 5[40] and UK indie hotspot SWX Nightclub in Bristol on their Bambi Tour.

During the summer of 2019, Hippo Campus joined their tour with The Head and the Heart, opening at venues such as Red Rocks for two sold out shows.

[50] A North America tour for Flood will begin in 2025, it will kickoff in Nashville, Tennessee on January 28th, 2025 and will conclude in Minneapolis at Surly Festival Field on May 31st, 2025.