The Tragically Hip is the first release from Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip, released in 1987.
The EP was produced by Ken Greer of Red Rider, and consists of seven songs on cassette and eight songs on CD.
Release
The EP was released in the Kingston area in late 1987, and nationally in January 1988. The label's initial marketing strategy was to ignore major metropolitan markets such as Toronto, instead focusing on breaking the band in secondary markets and on campus radio; however, within weeks the band had made enough of a name for itself that they were playing Toronto venues like the Horseshoe Tavern by March.
In December 1988 they signed a long-term contract with MCA Records.
Songs
It was the only album in the band's career on which the band members received separate individual songwriting credits rather than being credited collectively.
Mike Degagne of AllMusic wrote that the album "is blanketed with a roadside texture that is interesting because it harnesses their music in its rawest and earliest stages. Gord Downie has not yet mastered his poetic rigidity or his soothsayer approach to obscure experiences and events here, as he does on future albums," but noted that "just because the band hasn't yet mastered their musicianship as a whole, doesn't mean the album is a total washout, either."
Greg Burliuk of the band's hometown Kingston Whig-Standard was the most positive overall, writing that "though it contains only seven songs, rush out and grab this Kingston band's recording debut, so that you can say you were among the first to jump on the bandwagon. If the current trend towards rough-edged guitar bands holds, The Hip should find itself streaking towards the top in short order. This mini-album, originally intended simply as a demo, should help that ascent." He predicted, ultimately correctly, that "Downie is a first-rate singer who I think one day will be considered one of Canada's best. So may this band."
Matt Sheardown of Stylus Magazine later reflected: "While [the band's] later offerings would be more heavily influenced by edgier sounds, their debut EP's brand of roots-rock sent obvious nods towards fellow Canadians of notable stature—Neil Young and The Band. That 1987 self-titled EP showed enough raw energy that The Hip were inked for a full-length debut with MCA Records."