Coachella Band Preview: Blondie

We’re currently less than 2 weeks from Coachella 2023 and I’m leaving for the desert in just a few days! I’ve been getting so excited by looking at pictures and videos from past Coachellas. I’m mostly packed at this point with quite a few outfits planned for fest days. I’ve also been listening to my 2023 playlist as much as I can. I hope you’ve been doing the same! With only a week and a half to spare though, we’re getting down to the wire with previews, so I saved a big one for this week, Blondie.

Blondie is a new wave, punk, pop rock band formed in New York City in the mid-70’s. The band was co-founded by lead singer Debbie Harry and guitarist Chris Stein and included Clem Burke on drums amongst other members through the years. The band released 6 studio albums from 1974 to 1982, Blondie, Plastic Letters, Parallel Lines, Eat to the Beat, Autoamerican, and The Hunter. These albums brought some of their greatest hits including, “Heart of Glass,” “Call Me,” “One Way or Another,” “The Tide is High,” “Atomic,” and “Rapture.” They disbanded for about 15 years due to Stein being diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disorder, until getting back together in 1997. They’ve continued to tour ever since and were even inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. Since getting back together, they’ve also released 5 more albums, No Exit, The Curse of Blondie, Panic of Girls, Ghosts of Download, and Pollinator.

Despite being a Grammy award winning legendary rock band, they have yet to play Coachella. The band plays Friday at the festival and I expect to see them at Mojave or Gobi. I bet you’ll find them playing a late afternoon or early evening set. They definitely check the box for legacy act at the festival and will surely bring out the Coachella veterans as well as anyone else interested in hearing some new wave rock music. Their songs are so iconic too that anyone who comes to the set should hear something they know. Here’s a few of those in case you didn’t want to have the “Hey! I know this one!” moment at their set:

1. One Way or Another
2. Call Me
3. Heart of Glass
4. The Tide is High
5. Atomic
6. Rapture
7. Maria
8. Hanging on the Telephone
9. Dreaming
10. Sunday Girl

Coachella Band Preview: Despacio

We’re currently less than a month away until Coachella 2023 Weekend 1. I already have friends out in Indio working on the build of the festival, which means that you should be preparing accordingly too. I hope you’ve gotten your wristbands, your travel and accommodations are booked, your outfits are picked out, and your favorite artists on repeat to the point that you know all the songs and are ready to sing along and dance your ass off on the polo fields. This week the act I wanted to review is probably the toughest to prepare for because the only thing you can guarantee you’ll get is an incredible dance party.

Despacio, which is the spanish word for “slowly,” is a side project created by LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy, audio engineer John Klett, and Soulwax’s/2manydjs’ David and Stephen Dewaele. The name isn’t really the name of the group as much as it is the name of the soundsystem used to create a one-of-a-kind listening experience. The 7 stack McIntosh soundsystem uses 50,000 watts of sound all while Murphy and the Dewaele brothers spin vinyl for hours on end. It’s a club experience like no other that first debuted in 2013 and has been popping up at festivals and on tours ever since. This won’t be the first time Despacio makes a Coachella appearance, as it first appeared for an “all weekend long” run at the festival in 2016. There was even a special tent created specifically for the Despacio experience, which I expect will be similar this year.

That being said you’re basically getting club style dance music. There’s not really any specific songs you can listen to in preparation. Just get your stretches in and prepare to move your body. As an LCD Soundsystem fan, who was a bit disappointed LCD didn’t make the lineup after hearing some rumors, I’m excited to experience this James Murphy project. I’ve heard of it and yet never have been able to experience it in person, so I plan to during my month stay in the desert. If you really want to get into the club vibe, spend a little time listening to LCD Soundsystem, Soulwax, or 2manydjs. 2manydjs are playing the festival anyway so it would serve as a dual purpose if you’re trying to catch their set. Otherwise practice those dance moves and keep listening to your other favorite Coachella 2023 artists this week, because we’re nearing the finish line of waiting. 4 weeks til Coachella!

Coachella Band Preview: Gorillaz

The first weekend of Coachella 2023 is officially 5 weeks away. I’ve been doing my part and listening to my personal Coachella playlist as much as possible lately, but I know it’s probably still not enough. I feel like there are so many bands playing this year that I’m trying to get into compared to years past. One of those bands is a group I’ve known of since high school! I never sought interest in them much growing up, but since they’re one of the big alternative rock acts playing this year (and I love alternative/indie rock), I figured it was time I gave them a chance. Needless to say, Gorillaz are growing on me!

Gorillaz are an English virtual alternative rock band created in 1998 by Blur frontman Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett. The fictional members consist of 2-D (vocals, keyboard, voiced by Albarn), Murdoc Niccals (bass), Noodle (guitar, keyboard, vocals), and Russel Hobbs (drums). Gorillaz first album (self-titled) was released in 2001. It has since gone triple platinum in the UK, 2x platinum in Europe and New Zealand, and platinum in many other countries including the U.S. The follow-up to their debut album Demon Days was released in 2005 and included one of their most successful singles to date, the Grammy winning track, “Feel Good Inc.” featuring hip-hop group De La Soul. Since then Albarn and his virtual group have released 5 full length albums, Plastic Beach (2010), The Fall (2010), Humanz (2017), The Now Now (2018), and Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez (2020). Two weeks ago they released their seventh studio album Cracker Island. They recently wrapped up a world tour and now plan on bringing Cracker Island to the desert come mid-April.

Over the last 25 years, Gorillaz have collaborated with a multitude of artists and bands which is why despite the fact that they are primarily an alternative rock group, their music spans different genres. Their songs include art pop, electronic, and hip hop elements amongst others. Some of the acts they’ve worked with include Snoop Dogg, Lou Reed, Stevie Nicks, Vince Staples, Kali Uchis, Robert Smith, Elton John, Beck, Bad Bunny, Tame Impala, and St. Vincent.

Coachella 2023 will mark the band’s second performance at the festival. Their first was 13 years ago in 2010 when they headlined the festival on Sunday night. In a brief teaser of what was to come for 2023, Damon Albarn appeared with Billie Eilish during her Weekend 1 headlining set last year for a performance of “Feel Good Inc.” What’s interesting about Gorillaz is that they’re primarily a virtual band and performances are a mix of virtual and real life with Albarn at the helm. So we’ll never know what this year’s Coachella performance will bring. There will undoubtedly be guest appearances though. I hope we see the likes of Tame Impala and Stevie Nicks who are featured on Cracker Island. Their Tame Impala collab song “New Gold” was a favorite of mine this past fall. My biggest hope spans beyond Gorillaz however. I hope Blur guitarist Graham Coxon makes another appearance with the group prompting a “Song 2” cover. It happened once in 2018 so I’m holding on to the very slim chance that it happens again. I expect to see Gorillaz on the main stage Friday night before Bad Bunny’s headlining performance, which means there’s a very high likelihood I’ll be able to catch their set. Here’s a few of their many songs I’ve been listening to in preparation:

1. Feel Good Inc.
2. Clint Eastwood
3. New Gold (ft. Tame Impala and Bootie Brown)
4. On Melancholy Hill
5. DARE
6. Rhinestone Eyes
7. Cracker Island (ft. Thundercat)
8. She’s My Collar (ft. Kali Uchis)
9. Dirty Harry (ft. Bootie Brown)
10. Oil (ft. Stevie Nicks)

Coachella Band Preview: boygenius

Another week of winter down means another weak closer to the desert days that lie ahead. By now I hope your Coachella preparations are coming along accordingly and you’re as head first into the music as I am. Last year we were preparing for Phoebe Bridgers to play a big set on Friday night of the festival and this year we’re preparing to watch her play again. This time though it’s on Saturday night and it’s with two other talented ladies by the names of Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus. Together they are boygenius.

The indie rock supergroup formed in 2018 after being in each other’s friend circles for a while and wanting to create an epic band together. Once deciding to come together, they created their self-titled debut EP in a matter of days. It was released in October 2018 and the band toured in support of it across the US. Their highly acclaimed EP was even named the 12th best album of 2018 by NPR Music and reached the number 3 spot on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart. Through the next 5 years the group collaborated on other projects, but recently announced their debut album will drop in March, just in time for their Coachella debut.

While Coachella has been lacking rock artists in recent years, boygenius truly checks off the boxes for indie rock. Their style mixes indie rock and indie folk. They recently released 3 new songs from their debut album that I hope everyone has been listening to in preparation for their Saturday night set. Coachella will mark the group’s first festival appearance ever. I expect they’ll be playing the main stage before BLACKPINK comes on. It’ll either be that or a headliner overlap at Outdoor Theatre. I’m sure you’ll want to binge listen to the entire boygenius album once it drops in March, but in the mean time, here’s the songs you need to know:

1. Emily I’m Sorry
2. Souvenir
3. Me & My Dog
4. Bite the Hand
5. $20
6. True Blue
7. Salt in the Wound
8. Ketchum ID
9. Stay Down
10. I Know the End (Phoebe Bridgers song that Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus are both featured on)

Coachella 2022 Re-Cap

Well…I’m back. We did it. Coachella happened and it was as normal as could be. I look back on my time there over the last 4 weeks and feel so grateful for all of it. It’s still as magical as ever. I realized during Coachella how I can be alone on the polo fields and never feel lonely. There’s always something to see and do there. I feel like a lot of festivals are like this, but with Coachella there’s just a comfort for me that doesn’t always exist in other places. The art was great. The fashion was back. The vibes were immaculate and the music was unforgettable. So here’s what I was able to see over the two weekends….

The hype for Weekend 1 lasted from the weekend before I arrived until Day 1 Weekend 1. It was a little chaotic at times on the work front because we had a lack of staff, but my pals and I stepped up to make it work and the team that I did have was amazing. The biggest surprise of Weekend 1 came when the set times were released on Thursday and Arcade Fire was listed for a 6:45 p.m. set at Mojave. I couldn’t even believe it was real! So yes Arcade Fire played Weekend 1 and I missed it because I wasn’t onsite until 8:30 p.m. The “livestream” didn’t air the set until 9 p.m either, when I was vibing at the festival. It was okay though! I was able to see Phoebe Bridgers and Harry Styles including the Shania Twain appearance. I missed Bishop Briggs and Lost Kings as I expected due to the early set times. Lane 8 overlapped Harry Styles so that became a Weekend 2 set for me as the Danimal and I saw the beginning of Lane 8, hopped over to Harry to see who he would bring out (Lizzo!!!), and then returned to see the end of the Lane 8 set.

The music I wanted to see on Saturday was abundant. Saturday Weekend 1 began with seeing Beach Goons with Hailey before she started her shift and then followed up with Wallows on Outdoor at 4 p.m. and Emo Nite at Sahara right after Wallows. There was a bit of overlap between the two but I couldn’t bring myself to leave Wallows. I’m now very into the band with the kid from 13 Reasons Why (he should quit acting and just do music in my opinion now) and am already making plans to see their Philly show in June. They were too good live. After they ended though, I met up with some friends at Emo Nite. It was extremely cool to see the masses singing along to all the emo classics. Tom Higgenson from Plain White T’s made an appearance to play “Hey There Delilah,” which earned a huge sing along from the crowd. My plan was to see girl in red after Emo Nite but I needed to return back to the Safari home base to start on some work for Weekend 2. Girl in red became my Weekend 2 priority and it was one of my favorites after going back to back with Wallows again with the Danimal. Yes, I also decided to see Wallows again Weekend 2. Again I am now VERY into them. L’Imperatrice was another Weekend 2 set for me (super fun and full of dancing) after a recommendation from my buddy Noah. I also caught the Jacoby Shaddix from Papa Roach appearance at Emo Nite Weekend 2 and heard him sing “Last Resort.”

I needed to see Turnstile Weekend 1 as I had to meet up with my long time friend Chelsea to see one set as we usually do. It was Turnover in 2019 and Turnstile in 2022. Hailey also joined halfway through the set and so did my friend Lexi. It was definitely full of hardcore tunes and plenty of moshing. I saw the end of Disclosure both weekends with a little more of the set during Weekend 2. I definitely danced along to “Latch” twice though. I saw Flume both weekends as well, but my highlight of Flume came during Weekend 1 when I saw Dave Bayley aka Wavey Davey from Glass Animals hanging out in the viewing area. Hailey went over to him to say hey and he ended up telling her they were there to make an appearance during Denzel Curry’s set the next day. At that point, my Weekend 1 Sunday night plans changed from Jamie xx to Denzel Curry because Glass Animals are everything.

Late Saturday night I saw Hot Chip Weekend 1 and most of Billie Eilish. Weekend 2 I saw Caribou and made the mistake of leaving early. Billie Eilish brought out Hayley Williams from Paramore. They covered Misery Business and I missed it. I was so upset, but the fact that it was acoustic made it a little better. It was still one of the biggest talking points of Weekend 2.

Sunday’s afternoon sets alternated for me on Weekend 1 and Weekend 2. I saw Olivia O’Brien Weekend 1 and part of Hayden James Weekend 2 (a work meeting held me back from the full set). Olivia O’Brien might have brought out Jake Paul at the end of her set after ending it with “Josslyn” and I might have hated it. Then I hit Maggie Rogers set both weekends as well. Maggie Rogers sunset set happened and I was fully immersed in it. On Sunday night, I saw the beginning of Duke Dumont Weekend 1 and the end of the set Weekend 2. Weekend 1 we decided to hit up the tiki bar instead of sticking around for the rest of Duke so I finally got there after 4 years! Then it was Denzel Curry time Weekend 1 and Jamie xx for me Weekend 2. I saw the full sets of both, but the highlight of Denzel Curry was hearing Tokyo Drifting with Glass Animals. The highlight of Jamie xx was hanging and dancing with a bunch of my Safari fam. Both sets were a great time. On Weekend 1, we took in all of Swedish House Mafia and the Weeknd’s combined set and I hung around for the end of it Weekend 2 as well because I wasn’t ready for Coachella to be over (never am). I soaked up my last moments on the polo fields wandering around, listening to music, and taking pictures for the mems of two incredible weekends back in Indio.

After a third weekend, aka Stagecoach weekend, I’m finally back home and experiencing the Coachella Valley withdrawal, but it needed to come to an end at some point. It’s still my favorite place to work and I feel like I could do it every weekend. My body, however, would argue. I realized yesterday that this year has a lot of new music releases from some of my favorite artists so stay tuned for album reviews going forward as I’m already behind on them. That’s it for Coachella though. Three years in the making and we finally got to do it again. Until next time, Coachella forever and always!

Coachella Band Preview: Lost Kings, Flume, Emo Nite, Maggie Rogers, & Hayden James

In exactly one month, the 21st installment of the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival begins in Indio, California at the Empire Polo Club, 81-800 Avenue 51. It’s all come down to this. One month left in the almost 36 month wait, once all is said and done. Since I returned from Mexico, I’ve been listening to my Coachella 2022 playlist almost every day. Over the last several Coachellas since I attended in 2015, the lineup has strayed away from my music interests. What was once a largely indie rock festival now spans across genres. My music interests have developed as well. I mean I was someone who never step foot in the Sahara tent in 2015. Coachella has become a festival of music discovery for me. There’s usually a good handful of artists I know and at least listen to on the lineup, but in recent years I’ve felt like I’ve used Coachella to become more interested in artists I don’t listen to as much or to discover new artists entirely. It’s broadened my interest in Arkells, Kungs, Maggie Rogers, and Petit Biscuit, and has helped me to discover artists like Dermot Kennedy, Daft Punk (Couchella 2020 was a thing!), and Dillon Francis. This week though I’m highlighting a bunch of artists and one style of music I’ve known and have liked for a while.

The first artists on this list are Lost Kings, the electronic music duo who have been releasing music since 2014. I previewed them as part of the 2020 lineup before shit hit the fan, so you can check out that blog here for more info about the electronic deejays. Since 2020, they released a new EP It’s Not You, It’s Me in December 2021. The EP contains all of their singles released over 2020 & 2021. Lost Kings play Friday to kick off the weekend and I’ll bet you’ll catch them and their progressive house style music sometime in the afternoon at the Sahara tent. These are some of the songs you’ll wanna know before you catch their set:

1. Phone Down
2. Oops (I’m Sorry)
3. When We Were Young
4. Don’t Kill My High
5. First Love
6. Anti-Everything
7. You
8. Stuck
9. Look At Us Now
10. Don’t Call

Flume is no stranger to this blog. Since 2016, I’ve considered Flume one of my favorite electronic artists. In fact, Flume, also known as Harley Streton, was the first deejay to get me into electronic music. I may have liked a song or two before that point, but I really found an interest in most of Flume’s music after listening to some of his tracks before volunteering at and attending Sweetlife Music Festival in 2016. Flume was also supposed to play Coachella in 2020. Read that preview here. It would have been his third appearance, but thankfully he’s back on the lineup in 2022 and will be making his third appearance this year instead. Prior to what would have been Coachella 2020, Flume released his track “The Difference” ft. Toro y Moi. He’s dropped a few remixes since, but released a brand new single, “Say Nothing” ft. MAY-A, a few weeks ago. Flume will be dropping a new album, Palaces, in May and I anticipate Coachella will probably get some new tunes as a result. Flume plays Saturday night and I would suspect he’ll be moving to the Main Stage this time around. His 2016 set was at Outdoor Theatre. These are the Flume songs you should be listening to so you’re ready for Saturday night in Indio:

1. The Difference
2. Say Nothing
3. Rushing Back
4. Never Be Like You
5. Say It
6. Holdin’ On
7. Sleepless
8. Drop the Game
9. Insane
10. Smoke & Retribution

When the 2020 lineup came out, I was both stoked and intrigued to see Emo Nite listed as an act for the festival. For someone who grew up listening to emo bands and who has attended a few emo nights, I’ve never actually been to the official Emo Nite that started them all. I’m excited to finally see what this is all about at Coachella and who makes an appearance at the festival. Here is the Emo Nite preview I wrote in 2020. Emo Nite is slated for Saturday at Coachella 2022. I would anticipate it to be at one of the smaller stages like Gobi or Mojave. It may even be at Sonora, which would would be the perfect setting for Emo Nite as an all enclosed air conditioned space where everyone can mosh freely. Although it’s kind of tough to prepare for Emo Nite because there’s tons of emo music, here are a few staples that have a good chance of being played:

1. I’m Not Okay (I Promise) -My Chemical Romance
2. Dear Maria, Count Me In -All Time Low
3. Misery Business -Paramore
4. I Write Sins Not Tragedies -Panic! At the Disco
5. Sugar We’re Going Down -Fall Out Boy
6. The Best of Me -The Starting Line
7. Ocean Avenue -Yellowcard
8. MakeDamnSure -Taking Back Sunday
9. Hands Down -Dashboard Confessional
10. The Great Escape -Boys Like Girls

Coachella 2019 was the first time I saw Maggie Rogers perform. Honestly, I haven’t seen her since, but I’ve continued to listen to her since the last Coachella, one of my favorite festival experiences to date. Maggie Rogers was a small part of that because of her song “Back in My Body.” I became obsessed with the song while I was in Indio for three weeks and it was so cool to see her perform it live. The song now reminds me of that time in my life and working/being at Coachella. Since my preview of Maggie Rogers for the 2019 festival, she has released a new single, “Loved You For A Long Time,” and an album of old recordings, Notes from the Archives: Recordings 2011-2016. She’s recently been dropping mixtape EP’s with songs from both albums. A few weeks ago she reported that her latest album is done, but there’s no set release date as of yet. This makes me think she’ll be debuting a new song or two at Coachella. Maggie Rogers plays Sunday and I’ll be damned if she doesn’t play a sunset set at Main Stage or Outdoor Theatre. She played the Mojave tent in 2019 and it was far too small. I expect her to move up to a bigger stage just as her name moved up on the lineup. Here’s some Maggie Rogers songs you’ll want to know beforehand:

1. Alaska
2. Love You For A Long Time
3. Light On
4. Fallingwater
5. Back in My Body
6. Celadon & Gold
7. Burning
8. Give A Little
9. Say It
10. On + Off

My first exposure to Hayden James came in 2018 during EDC Las Vegas. If you’ve following my blog in the past few years, you’d know his song “Numb” became my top listened to song of 2018 too. Like many of the artists I mentioned before, he was slated to play Coachella in 2020 and now returns for 2022. I had the chance to preview him two years ago, since I was just as stoked to see him perform again then as I am now. Since 2020, the Australian deejay has released a handful of singles and a DJ mix. He’s also put out so much more music since I last saw him perform in 2018 at Electric Forest. I can’t wait to have the chance to watch him again. He plays Sunday at Coachella, and I can bet you’ll catch him at the Sahara tent. I’m predicting a late afternoon, early evening set. It might even be a sunset set. Here’s some old and new songs you’ll wanna check out before heading to his Sunday show:

1. Something About You
2. Numb
3. Just Friends
4. Foolproof
5. Rather Be With You
6. Hold Tight
7. On Your Own
8. Waiting For Nothing
9. Better Together
10. Just A Lover

These five Coachella 2022 acts have all been part of this blog at one point or another, whether they were previewed for 2020 or played in the past. The thing they all have in common though is that if I already previewed them once, then I like them and I’m hyped to see them play. I’ve been listening to all these artists for the past week, along with many others I’ve already previewed. Time is winding down. Dust off your flower crowns because before you know it, we’ll be back. Coachella will be back. The vibes, the tunes, the fashion, the art, the food, the sunsets, the views, and everything else you love about Coachella will be here before you know it. Get ready and keep listening. We’re almost there!

Coachella Band Preview: FINNEAS

From the day after the last Coachella ended in April 2019 until now, I’ve been waiting to go back. Obviously March 2020 put a huge damper on the yearly spring tradition, and since then it’s just been a waiting game. I spent so many times thinking about Coachella, looking at pictures, and wondering what the day would be like when I finally get to go back and hoping by then it would be a normal Coachella. Now here we are, I leave for Coachella in just under a month and the festival begins in 5 weeks tomorrow. 1,090 days since the last Coachella once Day 1 Weekend 1 2022 hits. It’s unreal. I still keep holding my breath as I prep by listening to acts playing the festival this year, watching the Coachella Documentary from 2020, booking my travel, and planning out what I want to wear. With plenty of festivals now happening and three years since the last installment, Coachella seems imminent. I truly can’t believe we’ve made it this far. With the amount of time left, it’s really time to intensify the prep so this week I’m previewing an artist I’ve known about for a few years who, in my opinion, doesn’t get enough credit.

Finneas Baird O’Connell really has his claim to fame through his sister, Billie Eilish. He writes and produces a ton of her music along with other artists. He also writes and records his own music under the name FINNEAS. Before taking on his own project, he was the lead singer in the band, The Slightlys and took on some acting projects in the early 2010’s, including having a few appearances on the musical based TV show Glee. Since 2016, he has been recording and releasing his own music though. He released his first EP Blood Harmony in 2019 and his first studio album Optimist just last year. His music style is considered pop/alternative. After listening to FINNEAS for the first time in 2019, I would definitely consider him a pop artist. Also, despite the fact that he writes Billie’s music, I really do prefer his stuff over his sister’s. I knew once I discovered this that I wanted to listen to him more, but never really made the effort to do so. I guess there’s no better time than the present and no better festival to do it for than Coachella.

Billie Eilish is Saturday night’s headliner and usually a Billie festival appearance equates a FINNEAS festival appearance (sans Coachella 2019 when Billie made her first Polo Fields appearance). He plays a Sunday set. I’d expect a Sunday afternoon appearance from the older O’Connell sibling. I would also expect a Gobi or Mojave set from him. His set will likely be far less crowded than the set he’ll be a part of on Saturday night, but nonetheless, will be just as good. Here’s what you should be listening to in preparation for FINNEAS:

1. Let’s Fall in Love for the Night
2. Break My Heart Again
3. I Lost A Friend
4. Till Forever Falls Apart
5. What They’ll Say About Us
6. Angel
7. A Concert Six Months From Now
8. I Don’t Miss You At All
9. Claudia
10. New Girl

Coachella Band Preview: Jamie xx

Two things: it’s almost March and I’m almost home from my winter in Mexico! This means one thing: Coachella is a little over a month away after almost 1,100 days. Simple math. It makes my Coachella motto all that morning meaningful. I’ve always said to live every Coachella like your first Coachella. This time live every Coachella like your first Coachella and your last Coachella. Live it up hard. You never know. It just might be a while before your next one. Safe to say it’s been that way for this week’s preview artist. He last performed solo at the event in 2015 and performed with his band The xx in 2017. He goes by the name Jamie xx.

James Thomas Smith, or Jamie xx, is an English DJ/record producer. As I mentioned, he’s a member of indie pop band The xx, but it was shortly after the band’s formation that he began remixing tracks leading to his solo work. Along with remixing tracks by The xx, he began remixing music of several artists such as Florence + the Machine, Adele, and Glasser. His first album, We’re New Here, was entirely remixes. It came out in February 2011. His second and first original album, In Colour, was released in May 2015. He hasn’t really released much new music since then, aside from a single in 2020. The xx, however, last put out an album in 2017.

It’s definitely been a while since the last polo fields visit for the electronic artist who specializes in a style that incorporates future garage, post-dubstep, and house. He takes to the stage on Sunday in the desert. I’d imagine he would play the Sahara tent, but I could very well be wrong. He may be on the Coachella main stage or behind the booth at Outdoor. I would love a Jamie xx sunset set, and I feel like I’m not alone in this so I’ll be crossing my fingers that it happens. I’m also hoping that there may even be an appearance from Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim, the other two members of The xx. It would be so sick to get the band back together for their first appearance in several years. To get ready for whatever the Jamie xx set brings, I’ll be listening to:

1. Loud Places
2. I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times)
3. Gosh
4. See Saw
5. Idontknow
6. Obvs
7. Girl
8. On hold (Jamie xx remix)
9. You’ve Got the Love (Jamie xx remix)
10. Stranger in a Room

Coachella Band Preview: Phoebe Bridgers

As we near the end of February we’re another week closer to desert sunsets, festival fashion, chill vibes, and incredible music. I’m closing in on the end of my 2022 Mexico run and what a time it’s been this year. It’s always such a unique experience living and working in another country. With this year came plenty of other new challenges too, but I’m thankful for my team and friends who were there through all of it. Mexico is just the Coachella pre-party anyway right? I’ve spent some time listening to several 2022 performers, while working south of the border, including a woman who has gained significant popularity over the past few years, Phoebe Bridgers.

Phoebe Bridgers started her solo career in 2015 after leaving her first band Sloppy Jane. She released her first EP, Killer, around that time. The record was produced by then boyfriend, Ryan Adams, and released under his label PAX AM. Phoebe released her debut album Stranger in the Alps in 2017 shortly after signing with independent label Dead Oceans. The album was an independent success. Bridgers then joined up with fellow independent artists Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus to form the indie rock super group Boygenius. They only dropped one EP and embarked on a U.S. tour in the fall of 2018 before again continuing on with their solo projects. However, Bridgers also joined another side project with Bright Eyes front man Conor Oberst in 2018 when the two formed Better Oblivion Community Center and released their debut album in January 2019. The two embarked on a sell out tour that spring as well.

In 2020, Bridgers was supposed to tour with the 1975 in support of the release of her second solo album Punisher. Of course we know what happened there and the tour was ultimately cancelled. Punisher went on to major success though receiving tons of publication accolades and three Grammy nominations, one for Best Alternative Music Album and two for Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song for the single “Kyoto.” Bridgers, herself, also received a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist, even though the “new” felt pretty relative as she’s been making music for several years.

Phoebe Bridgers music style is substantially indie folk, but can also be considered indie pop or indie rock. Nevertheless, she’ll fill that indie music spot for Coachella this spring and will likely attract a huge audience due to her 2020 success. 2022 will mark Bridgers first time performing the iconic southern California music festival. I’m hoping to be able to see one of her performances over the two weekends. I first heard about her in 2018 when a coworker of mine thought I would like her music and gave me a song to listen to. Again I can’t say I fell into the hype over her during the past few years, but I’d still love to see her. I suspect she’ll be playing Friday night on the main stage before Harry Styles. I plan on doing all the prepping I can for her set, because I feel like I should like her more than I do. Here’s what I’ve been listening to and what you should too:

1. Funeral
2. Kyoto
3. Motion Sickness
4. Garden Song
5. Scott Street
6. I Know the End
7. Smoke Signals
8. Graceland Too
9. ICU
10. Georgia

(Bonus: Jesus Christ 2005 God Bless America (the 1975 song but feature Phoebe Bridgers because I just love it))

Coachella Band Preview: Disclosure

January was a total blur for me being in Mexico. However it’s finally February and I’m home for just under two weeks! Can’t wait to ski for days and think of the hot afternoons and cool evenings on the polo fields. It warms my heart. I have another 2 1/2 weeks in Mexico next month into the beginning of March, but after that it’s full on Coachella prep. I’m crossing my fingers that I get to be there again this year, but after a few discussions over this past month I think I will be. However, we’re 2 1/2 months away from another spring in Indio after a 3 year hiatus and it’s time to preview more bands. This week it’s Disclosure.

In 2020, I anticipated seeing Disclosure at Coachella. I hadn’t yet previewed the band when the festival was first postponed so I figured I should dive into them early this year. Disclosure is a British electronic duo composed of siblings Howard and Guy Lawrence. The brothers first started recording music and posting it to Myspace in 2010, which earned them a record deal. After several hit singles in their first few years, they dropped their first album Settle in June 2013, which was a big year for the duo. They toured worldwide playing shows and festivals. Settle was also nominated for a Grammy for Best Dance Album.

Their second album, Caracal, came in 2015. This album also received a Grammy nomination along with a number one spot on the UK Albums Chart upon release. After a one year hiatus from 2017-2018 and a few other breaks along the way, the band released their third album Energy in August 2020. They likely booked Coachella 2020 in anticipation of this, but unfortunately the event didn’t get to happen. The album released as planned though and the group received a Grammy nomination for it.

Disclosure plays a house/deep house style of electronic music. I always feel like deep house music has such a vibey sound and Disclosure’s music is no different. Their tunes will likely take a late set time spot at the main stage or Outdoor Theatre or even a headlining spot at Sahara.

They last played Coachella in 2016 and played the main stage on Saturday night. They play Saturday this year too and will be bringing plenty of new material to the desert. I hope to be able to be at their set. I’m not a huge Disclosure fan, but I know this is one electronic set not to miss this year. Start prepping your looks and get ready for this non-stop vibe of a dance party by listening to:

1. Latch
2. You & Me (Flume remix)
3. Magnets
4. Know Your Worth
5. You’ve Got to Let Go if You Wanna Be Free
6. Talk
7. Omen
8. Ultimatum
9. Help Me Lose My Mind
10. In My Arms