_{By Michael Luce}

One of my favorite parts of this job is getting to hear music from up-and-coming artists that I likely never would have heard otherwise. The fact I get to tell people about what’s coming on the horizon is so fun. It’s so rewarding to see the incredible talent and craft that seems to just pour out of people. I’ve said it before that one of my greatest regrets of life is that I will never get to hear all the good music ever written. Fortunately for me (and now for you), I have gotten to hear Hoppy.

Hoppy is an indie-pop project based out of Salt Lake City. Singer and guitarist Colt Hopkins formed the group in 2017 “as a vehicle for songwriting and expression,” and the last half-decade plus has seen the group experimenting and iterating with their sound. All that time together has resulted in their introspective and impermanence-laced debut album, Little While, which released today.

Musically, the album takes a slightly different approach than the group’s earlier work. Whereas their first few releases were fairly standard indie rock, Little While slows things down, rounds off the edges, and offers nothing but good vibes. On their debut album, Hoppy channels a sound that’s so immediately and completely cozy and comforting. Their music is like if indie met up with lo-fi and jazz. It’s borderline muzak or elevator music, or like the soundtrack from Animal Crossing took itself a bit more seriously. Seriously, it’s hard to articulate just how safe and content you feel while listening to Little While.

The sound is full, drawing from understated bass, smooth trumpet, slick guitar, and some of the grooviest drumming I’ve heard in a while; yet the tracks are open and sparce, opting for a simpler approach to arrangement. A lot of this stems from the recording process, as according to the band, the whole album was recorded in a group member’s basement, “allowing us to explore each song in a vulnerable yet comfortable space.”

The intro track “Little While” slowly builds the anticipation and energy, and almost reminds one of Pink Floyd’s more atmospheric and ambient tracks (“Shine On You Crazy Diamond,” “Echos”). That tension eventually eases into something more comfortable as the textures give way to softer tones and the muffled sounds of friends laughing together. It’s a great little moment that lets you know right from the get-go that everything’s going to be ok.

There really isn’t a bad track on Little While, but the latter half of the album is an absolute feast of buttery, laid-back goodness, so I’m going to focus my attention there. If you missed “The Casio” when it dropped earlier this year, then you owe it to yourself to check it out. The track is smart, direct, and smooth. It’s got that sparse sort of flow that just reminds you that life is, fundamentally, good. It’s easily a top 10 track of the year for me, and my only complaint is it’s just too dang short! I guess that’s why the Spotify gods have blessed us with the repeat button though.

While my favorite track is probably “The Casio,” the instrumental “2:11” is a super close second. No disrespect to singer Colt Hopkins’ vocal skills, there’s just something so soothing and satisfying about the way the trumpet, keys, and guitar trade off lead duties in the track while supporting one another in the background. I’m almost positive these guys have some kind of history with jazz, because the way they pass those solos around without ever dropping the vibes (or the beat for that matter) is straight class. Delicious.

The final highlight track for me is the closer “Garage Sketch.” First off, it’s a perfect reintroduction to vocals after the bliss of “2:11.” Secondly, it’s the first time we get to see Hoppy really flex and show off how massive they could make their sound if they wanted. About two minutes in, the track opens up with these stacked vocal harmonies, layered strings, and stylish synth pads, and before you realize it, you’re suddenly in a lush forest of dreamy satisfaction. It’s still a groove and a bop the whole way (I don’t think Hoppy could deliver anything else), but the setting has completely changed. It’s a perfect movie-style closer to the album, and it leaves the listener on a genuinely satisfying finish.

While writing this review, I was struggling to articulate any sort of criticism I had with the album. Despite loving it from top to bottom, I had a hard time declaring it perfect or saying it had blown me away. Eventually, I realized that with a project so wonderfully mellow, I think it’s just hard to experience many extreme emotions while under its influence. Like, Hoppy probably isn’t going to blow you out of the water here, but that has nothing to do with the quality of the music and everything to do with the intensity of it. And I think they’re ok with that.

In the end, this is the perfect pick-me-up, chill-me-out album, and if you want your life to be a bit happier, you really should check it out.

Hoppy regularly performs live around the Salt Lake area and has a free release show coming up next week, so be sure to follow them on Instagram to stay in the loop. You can listen to “The Casio” below!