Filtering by Tag: Pitchfork

Pitchfork Music Festival 2024: Sunday Highlights

July 23, 2024 / Rachel Zyzda

Pitchfork Music Festival 2024 wrapped up on Sunday, July 21st in Union Park, drawing another mix of different genres to close out the weekend.

I started my third day of the fest with Model/Actriz’s set over on the Red Stage. Having gone in completely blind to the band’s music and their performances, I was instantly blown away by the intensity of their show. Vocalist and frontman Cole Haden dramatically sashayed around the stage at the start of the band’s set, but within a couple of songs he jumped offstage to join the audience in the mosh pit. Haden journeyed to both the left and right sides of the crowd, getting up close and personal with the spectators. The extravagant performance got everyone rejuvenated and ready to take on the final day of the fest.

Jessica Pratt played next on the Green Stage, providing a chilled out, easy Sunday afternoon tone as fans watched on under the blazing sun. “Thanks for standing out in the sun with us,” Pratt told the audience as she continued her dreamy songs.

Mannequin Pussy tied for my favorite performance of the day, alongside Model/Actriz and MUNA—there’s just something about bands that start with the letter M! Fans gathered around the Blue Stage in anticipation a good 20 minutes before this set was slated to start. As the band performed a set heavily comprised of songs from their 2024 album I Got Heaven, lead vocalist Missy Dabice also addressed the packed audience a few times with captivating stage banter that she delivered in her signature sultry whisper that contrasts with her raw singing voice. “Hi boys, I’m Missy. All the men and all the boys raise your hands. I just wanna see what kind of fucked up men come to a Mannequin Pussy show,” she joked before asking everyone to scream “pussy” as loud as they could. The scream theme returned later in the show when Missy instructed everyone to let out a primal yell. “We’re the luckiest people alive to be able to be together, to be able to be in a place transferring your cathartic pain into something that looks more like community,” she prefaced the group primal scream. There’s a certain controlled chaos around Mannequin Pussy shows, where just as you feel you’re about to teeter over the edge, Missy and the band pull you right back in line. Who needs therapy when you can just go to one of their shows?

MUNA kept the energy soaring high over on the Green Stage, opening with their singles “What I Want” and “Number One Fan” that kept the audience dancing under the evening sun. The trio of Katie Gavin, Josette Maskin, and Naomi McPherson were joined by a couple of live band members to help bring their songs to life on the stage, but the focus remained on the core band members are they bolted around the stage and fed off one another’s energy. Gavin slipped in some funny banter alongside the music, asking the fest-goers if they just fell out of a coconut tree (in reference to the Kamala Harris meme). Gavin also called out the full circle experience for the band when she shared she used to come to the festival during high school. Towards the end of the set, the band tossed out inflatable horses into the crowd during the performance of “Anything but Me,” which was fitting for the part of the show that had a twinge of twang as Gavin played acoustic guitar.

Brittany Howard closed out the Red Stage with her soulful, powerhouse vocals. Accompanied by a full band, the singer told the audience “I drove through the night to get here and I’m gonna give y’all everything I got!” Howard delivered, giving me goosebumps with her commanding vocals.

Now, Mannequin Pussy’s show might have been controlled chaos, but Les Savy Fav’s set was pure, unfiltered chaos from the moment it began. Frontman Tim Harrington rolled up on a Lime scooter from the back of the crowd, parting the sea of concert-goers as he rode to the front barricade. From there, Harrington spent only a few moments onstage before he moved on to spend the majority of the show wandering amongst the fans, venturing all the way to the back of the crowd, and having audience members participate in the show as he went along. Les Savy Fav’s show was more of an interactive art exhibit backed by an epic soundtrack.

Alanis Morissette closed out the entire festival with a setlist packed with hit after hit—opening with “Hand in My Pocket” and winding down with “You Oughta Know.” One of the greatest aspects of music festivals is getting the chance to discover a new act, but fests are best when that discovery is anchored with some veteran performers. It felt truly inspiring and invigorating to get to witness the expertise and finely-tuned craft of stage performance that Morissette and her band have mastered throughout their years of touring and playing live music. Elaborate visual graphics accompanied the tight musicality of Alanis’ performance to elevate the production even further. Morissette and her band also gave a one-of-a-kind performance of “Ironic” at Pitchfork Fest by bringing out the entirety of MUNA to sing the song with her. We love to see a crossover moment! Following the cathartic and chills-inducing performance of “You Oughta Know” that closed out Morissette’s main set, the singer returned for a two-song encore including “Uninvited” and “Thank U.”

Be sure to also check out P4K highlights from Friday and Saturday.

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categories / Festival, Gigs, Photos, Reviews
tags / Pitchfork, Pitchfork Music Festival, Model/Actriz, MUNA, Jessica Pratt, Mannequin Pussy, Brittany Howard, Les Savy Fav

Pitchfork Music Festival 2024: Friday Highlights

July 21, 2024 / Rachel Zyzda

Pitchfork Music Festival 2024 returned to Union Park, kicking off on Friday, July 19th. Although we’ve had storms and heat waves in Chicago in recent weeks, the weather forecast looks great for the entire weekend, and fans were able to start the weekend of festivities with sun and comfortable temperatures to go along with the day-one lineup that included everything from the lofi and laidback Black Duck to amped up electronic acts like 100 gecs and Jai Paul to the soulful rockers Black Pumas.

Around 5:15 PM, DJ and singer Yaeji kicked off the dance party that bounced between the Red and Green stages for the rest of the evening. Flanked by two backup dancers, Yaeji glided across the stage, singing her bilingual lyrics of English and Korean words. A highlight of her set included her most popular song “Raingurl” that features a hypnotic beat and had the whole crowd moving in unison.

Meanwhile over at the Blue Stage, Amen Dunes, which is the musical project of singer-songwriter Damon McMahon, held down the experimental indie rock quota of the festival for the day. The band’s set included a handful of new songs from the album Death Jokes that just came out in May 2024, like “Purple Land” and “Exodus.” Fans also got to hear some familiar favorites like “Miki Dora” from Amen Dunes’ 2018 album Freedom.

Next up, 100 gecs cranked up the energy ten-fold, drawing in a massive crowd to join their rave mosh pit. The duo Dylan Brady and Laura Les kept the crowd smiling and dancing along with their quirky lyrics and outlandish electronic tracks, opening up the show with their song “Dumbest Girl Alive.” Les and Brady also did a great job at setting up their upcoming songs with their witty stage banter—before playing “Frog On The Floor” the duo told the audience to “look to your right, look to your left, now look down and make sure there’s not a frog on the floor!” They also asked the crowd to cheer if they’d ever had a tooth pulled or lost a tooth, adding “let me hear it if you’ve ever gone -1 on a tooth” before they performed “I Got My Tooth Removed.” In addition to all of the dancing I witnessed during 100 gecs, I also spotted my first crowdsurfer of the day during their set.

Violinist and singer-songwriter Sudan Archives as well as DJ and producer Jai Paul kept the dance parties going at the Blue and Red stages next as we got into some of the final moments of the day one.

Jeff Rosenstock and his band closed out the Blue Stage with my favorite performance of the day, which began with the song “Chop Suey!” by System of a Down playing over the speakers until Rosenstock and his bandmates took their places onstage and finished out playing the song live. From there, the set launched into a feel-good rowdy rock set that was a nice change of pace from the heavily electronic-based music on the lineup. While I spotted one or two crowdsurfers earlier, there were too many to keep track of towards the end of Jeff Rosenstock’s performance— including Jeff himself jumping offstage while playing the saxophone. While the crowd might have been rambunctious, Rosenstock made sure to encourage everyone to remain respectful, asking everyone to say hi to their festival neighbors and keep it a friendly space for others. “Make it a habit throughout the weekend, and if throughout the weekend some fucking dumb dipshit person starts groping the person next to you, and starts getting in their space, just gather the nice people around you and push that person the fuck out of the way so everybody can enjoy the weekend.”

As the sun began to go down, Black Pumas began their soulful rock and roll headlining show over on the main stage to wrap up Friday’s festivities. Their show opened on a high note-literally- as lead vocalist Eric Burton showed off his silky and dynamic vocal range. Burton also took the opportunity to connect and get close to the audience, hopping down from the stage to join the fans on the barricade as he serenaded them. The Black Pumas’ performance made for a great way to ease into some of the more pop-heavy performers that are slated for the rest of Pitchfork Fest.

Keep an eye out for highlights from Saturday and Sunday of Pitchfork Fest.

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categories / Reviews, Music, Festival, Gigs
tags / Black Pumas, Jeff Rosenstock, Sudan Archives, Jai Paul, 100 gecs, Amen Dunes, Yaeji, Pitchfork, Pitchfork Music Festival, P4K

Pitchfork Music Festival Kicks Off in Two Weeks

July 05, 2024 / Rachel Zyzda

In just two weeks, Pitchfork Music Festival will return to Chicago’s Union Park for three full days on music. Highlights of Friday, July 19th include 100 gecs, Jai Paul, Jeff Rosenstock, and Black Pumas. On Saturday, we’ll dance along to acts like Jessie Ware, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Jamie xx. Sunday closes out the fest with icons like Alanis Morissette, Brittany Howard and MUNA.

You can still grab tickets here, and view the full schedule here.

Get a preview of the festival with the official playlist from Pitchfork below.

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categories / Festival, Gigs, Music
tags / Pitchfork, P4K, Pitchfork Music Festival, Music Festival

Sunday Recap: Pitchfork Music Festival 2023

July 25, 2023 / Rachel Zyzda

Pitchfork Fest wrapped up on Sunday, July 23rd, starting with Ariel Zetina and closing with Bon Iver on the Green Stage. We lucked out with the weather on day 3, but read on below for more highlights and the full photo gallery

I arrived to Union Park around 2:00 PM on the third day of Pitchfork Fest to a sleepy, Sunday atmosphere. As Rachika Nayar performed her ambient, experimental music, I saw festival-goers relishing in a lazy kick off—some even dozing off on the field, gently easing into another full day of music.

The gentleness of the music continued with Lucrecia Dalt, another experimental musician, over on the Green stage. Dalt was joined by a percussionist who helped bring her songs to the stage with a multitude of instruments, including bongos and a cowbell. Dalt currently lives in Berlin, but she originally hails from Columbia, so her lyrics are sung in Spanish. Although I didn’t catch the meaning of the words (my high school Spanish is rusty), I still very much appreciated the ambience of her music.

Florist, the project of Emily Sprague and bandmates Rick Spataro, Jonnie Baker, and Felix Walworth, took the Blue stage next. The band continued the mellow vibes as they played their songs like “Red Bird Pt. 2(Morning)” and “Feathers.” As I was watching their set, I noticed a couple of people in the crowd sitting in a meditative pose, and honestly, Florist makes great music to meditate to.

The festival line up seemed to go from zero to sixty next when English duo Jockstrap hit the stage. In stark contrast to the earlier performances, Georgia Ellery and Taylor Skye brought massive energy along with their electro-pop and glitch sounds. Ellery glided around the stage and the crowd danced along with her, as the music was so loud and full of chest-shattering bass. Jockstrap’s show was exactly the surge that the crowd needed to make it past the Pitchfork Fest finish line.

If Jockstrap’s set was like getting woken up by an alarm clack, then JPEGmafia’s set was like getting a bucket of ice cold water dumped on you when you’re dead asleep (in the best way possible). Every time I’ve seen JPEGmafia, the massive energy that he is able to bring as one performer is matched tenfold by the crowd, making his sets something really special to witness. The crowd welcomed him with the usual “Peggy!” chant, and before the first song was even done, JPEG had jumped onto the speakers to get closer to the audience. Throughout the set, JPEG never remained in one place for too long— he was either zipping around the stage, leaping from speaker to speaker, or running down the center barricade to be face to face with fans. Another highlight of his performance was his cover of Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe.”

JPEGmafia, or “Peggy” as is fans call him, performing

Soul Glo played over on the Blue stage around the same time, and similar to the previous two sets, they really amped up the energy. From the moment the bandmates Pierce Jordan, GG Guerra, and TJ Stevenson took the stage and Jordan started screaming, the first mosh pit I’d seen that weekend commenced. I’d say Soul Glo was definitely the set that surprised me the most this weekend, as I originally expected them to be soulful R&B and was instead smacked in the face with the most hardcore punk band of the festival. Yet again, it was a great way to keep the energy soaring high towards the end of the weekend.

Illuminati Hotties also rocked the Blue Stage a little later that afternoon, performing their cheeky and carefree punk music. Illuminati Hotties is the project of musician, songwriter, and producer Sarah Tudzin, and Tudzin was joined by bandmates Tim Kmet, Sapphire Jewell, Zach Bilson. The bandmates had great chemistry together, which made their show even more entertaining to watch.

Keeping up with the theme of fun and carefree, Hurray for the Riff Raff performed next on the Blue stage. As you’d expect for a band with “Hurray” in the title, the band’s set felt like a feel-good celebration. Songwriter, musician, and lead vocalist Alynda Segarra and her bandmates all had glitter highlighter on their face in the place of war paint. What’s not to love about glitter war paint?!

I caught a few minutes of Kelela closing out the Red stage for the weekend with her silky vocals and flowing dance moves before jumping over to the Blue stage again for Mdou Moctar. Moctar and his bandmates brought cheerful vibes and facilitated such a community setting as they absolutely shredded on guitar. Moctar often looked out into the audience with so much appreciation, and the audience returned the admiration by clapping in time to the beat or raising their hands together in synchronization.

Bon Iver ended the fest on a high note, putting on my favorite set of the weekend. Justin Vernon was joined by a full band, including a backup vocalist, to perform songs from across Bon Iver’s catalog. Vernon’s vocals sounded incredible, and during some of the older songs like “Blood Bank” (my personal favorite), they did some minor change ups on the arrangements, refreshing the song from the recorded version. Unsurprisingly, the crowd favorite was the massive hit “Skinny Love” from 2008’s For Emma, Forever Ago, but we also heard tracks from every Bon Iver era through 2019’s i,i. The musical performance was also complemented by stunning light design.

Check out photos from day three below, and be sure to read coverage of day 1 and day 2 of Pitchfork Fest 2023.

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categories / Festival, Gigs, Music, Photos, Reviews
tags / Pitchfork, Pitchfork Music Festival, Lucrecia Dalt, Florist, Jockstrap, Bon Iver, Kelela, Soul Glo, Mdou Moctar, Hurray for the Riff Raff, JPEGmafia, Illuminati Hotties

Saturday Recap: Pitchfork Music Festival 2023

July 23, 2023 / Rachel Zyzda

Pitchfork Day 2 kicked off Saturday, July 22nd with Chicago’s own Deeper and wrapped up with Big Thief on the main stage. The day began with a perfect forecast, but the weather had a change of plans that affected some of the performances. Still, the day provided many incredible performances. Read on for the highlights and see the full photo gallery of the day below.

The day began with members of Deeper Nic Gohl, Shiraz Bhatti, Drew McBride, and Kevin Fairbairn taking the Green stage playing an atmospheric, distorted introduction that faded into their first song, “This Heat” from their 2020 album Auto-Pain. The hometown band had a good crowd show up despite it being early in the day, and their setlist featured some of their newer singles like “Build a Bridge” and “Tele” from their upcoming third album.

Next up, Palm was the first victim of the unexpected lightening storm that day. Just as they were about to take the Red stage for their last Chicago show ever (they’re currently on their farewell tour), security made the announcement that everyone had to get away from the stage and barricade due to lightening in the area. The music finally resumed at 2:30PM with 700 Bliss, and Palm were able to be rescheduled to play 1:15PM on the Blue stage Sunday.

Speaking of the Blue stage, Black Belt Eagle Scout gave an incredible performance there shortly after the weather delay. Black Belt Eagle Scout is the project of singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Katherine Paul, and Paul was joined by two bandmates to bring her songs to the stage. Paul told the audience that this was her first time playing Pitchfork Fest as she dove into her performance. Her set was beautifully dynamic, ebbing and flowing between softer moments and crescendoing guitar solos from Paul. Paul wrapped up her set with “Indians Never Die,” a song rooted in her Swinomish culture and commentary on the harsh reality that the government doesn’t respect Indigenous land. About this song, Paul has said “Indians never die because this is our land that we will forever protect in the present and the afterlife.”

Katherine Paul of Black Belt Eagle Scout

Next up, MJ Lenderman and his live band performed on the Red stage as it began to drizzle rain. Forget about rock n’ roll—Lenderman’s set was rain n’ twang! Lenderman’s set was one of my favorite of the day as it evoked those feel-good festival vibes. His live band featured a slide guitarist and two drummers, including Spencer Tweedy on one of the kits— we even got to hear some cowbell from Tweedy. More cowbell! An extended jam at the end of Lenderman’s song “Rudolph” showcased the intricate musicality he and his bandmates have.

Vagabon took the Blue stage next, but only got part way into her second song before the weather struck again. The audience was upset about the delay and ultimate cancellation of the singer’s set, but they applauded in support of her brief performance.

With the pause in music, I made my way over to the DoorDash Backstage interview stage and got to hear a brief part of Weyes Blood’s interview before the entire fest ended up being put on hold. After a short on-site weather delay, the festival eventually announced an evacuation the grounds.

The hour and a half break in the performances unfortunately meant that Panda Bear’s and Snail Mail’s sets were also cancelled for the day. Originally, there had been a devastating lineup conflict between Julia Jacklin and Snail Mail performing at the same time on the Blue and Red stages, respectively, but the 5:15PM slot was part of the evacuation. Jacklin got to perform a delayed and brief solo set over on the Blue stage when the gates reopened around 6:00 PM, but the main stage performance had to carry on with King Krule at his original time slot.

King Krule, the project of English musician Archy Ivan Marshall, made for a great official welcome back to the festival grounds. The front row was full of dedicated fans, who screamed in joy when they saw the musician appear on stage. I think they would have been equally excited if the weather delay hadn’t happened, but they seemed even more happy that one of their most anticipated sets was able to go on as planned.

Later that evening, I caught a few minutes of Charlotte Adigéry and Bolis Pupul closing out the Blue stage for the evening. They brought the dancy, care-free vibes along with so much bass that you could feel it in your chest.

Natalie Laura Mering, AKA Weyes Blood, closed out the Red stage simultaneously, donning a flowing white gown and cape that complemented her ethereal vocals. Towards the end of her set, rain began to fall again, drizzling at first and then rapidly picking up. Still, the show went on, and dedicated fans remained smiling and singing along to her songs like “Everyday” and “Do You Need My Love.” During her second to last song, “Twin Flame,” Mering’s dress lit up like her heart was glowing, as in the title of her most recent album And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow.” Her dress featured more visual projections for the final song “Movies,” this time mimicking waves of water.

Saturday wrapped up with Adrianne Lenker, Buck Meek, Max Oleartchik, and James Krivchenia of Big Thief returning to the Pitchfork Fest stage, this time as headliners. The band made quite the entrance, with Oleartchik being carried onto the stage in a mermaid (or merman?) tail. Krivchenia also wore a bright orange, bedazzled outfit that contrasted with Lenker’s more casual flannel and Meek’s button down and blazer combo, but once they started playing, everyone honed in on the music. Big Thief’s setlist heavily featured songs from their most recent album, 2022’s Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You, as well as their brand new single “Vampire Empire.”

You can see more photos of all of these performances below, and stay tuned for coverage of day 3!

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categories / Gigs, Festival, Photos, Reviews
tags / Pitchfork, Pitchfork Music Festival, Big Thief, Weyes Blood, Vagabon, MJ Lenderman, Deeper, Palm, King Krule, Black Belt Eagle Scout, Snail Mail, Julia Jacklin

Friday Recap: Pitchfork Music Festival 2023

July 22, 2023 / Rachel Zyzda

Pitchfork Music Festival kicked off Friday, July 21st in Union Park, with the day beginning with Nourished By Time on the Green stage and closing with The Smile on that same stage. Check out some highlights of day one of the festival below, as well as the full photo gallery.

Chicago’s own Sen Morimoto performed in the early afternoon on the Green stage. Although he’s a solo artist and typically records all of his own records, his live band had a slew of talented musicians to help bring his songs to life. In addition to playing the saxophone himself during some songs, Morimoto also had more horns with a trombone player and second saxophonist, backing vocals from Chicago artist Kaina, and more traditional live instruments like drums and guitar. Plenty of fans withstood the harsh beaming sun to see Morimoto’s set, and the crowd was having a great time. Morimoto dedicated his song “Woof” to dogs, and asked the audience to give him their best howl (which everyone happily obliged). Another highlight of the set included a cover of Cher’s song “Believe.”

Next up, I caught another solo act, Grace Ives on the Red stage. This time around, the solo artist put on a complete one-person show—as Ives gave us her all with just a microphone and her programmed synthesizer. Ives’ performance kind of felt like she’d invited us all over for a living room dance party—even though she was up there owning the stage, she had a casual, inviting demeanor that made it feel like we were just a massive group on friends dancing and singing along.

Youth Lagoon, the project of musician Trevor Powers, performed on the Green Stage next. It was nice to see Powers back performing as Youth Lagoon, since he had announced his retirement of the project back in 2016. Just last year, Powers announced a comeback was on the way, and he released Youth Lagoon’s latest album Heaven Is a Junkyard in June 2023. Youth Lagoon’s Pitchfork Fest set heavily featured songs from this new record, like “Rabbit” and “Idaho Alien,” but I was happy to also hear a comfort song of mine from 2011, “Afternoon,” from the album The Year of Hibernation. Youth Lagoon’s dreamy soundscape was the perfect soundtrack for an afternoon at a music fest.

Nation of Language put on one of my favorite sets of the day over on the Red stage. The Brooklyn-based trio, featuring Ian Richard Devaney (lead vocals, guitar, synths), Aidan Noell (vocals and synths), and Alex MacKay (bass), already had a large fanbase at the fest, but they quickly won over newcomers in the crowd when they performed their song “I’ve Thought About Chicago” (who doesn’t love a hometown shout out?) The trio had the audience dancing along to their refreshing take on New Wave influences and synth-pop driven melodies, despite the sun that continued to blaze through the afternoon. Noell acknowledged the crowd’s dedication, saying “Thanks for sweating for us.” Nation of Language’s Pitchfork Fest set also featured some new, unreleased material from their upcoming album Strange Disciple.

Ian Richard Devaney of Nation of Language

The project of musician and songwriter Michael Alden Hadreas, better known as Perfume Genius, kept the dancing and high energy going during his performance. Hadreas was joined by a full band, but he really stole the show with his commanding stage presence and impeccable style. Donning full arm’s length red gloves, Hadreas glided around the stage performing songs like “Slip Away” and “Otherside.” Perfume Genius’s evening set wrapped up with the epic fan favorite “Queen.” Hadreas asks the question “Don’t you know you queen?” in the song and the crowd royally adored the performance.

Michael Alden Hadreas AKA Perfume Genius

Next, I went over to the Blue stage for the first time on Friday to catch another beloved Chicago act, Ric Wilson. Living up to his Instagram handle “Disco Ric,” Wilson brought all the great disco vibes to his Pitchfork performance. Not only did his music elicit pure happiness, but Wilson also made sure his set felt like a safe place for all when he asked everyone to put their fist up and repeat an inclusive chant after him, including “no racist, no sexist, no homophobic, and no transphobic!” Wilson shined with his vocal performance and charismatic dance moves, and he also had an incredible live band to help bring his music to life. Every time I’ve seen Ric Wilson, his shows have been an instant serotonin boost, and this time was no different.

Alvvays closed out the Red Stage on Friday, bringing their cheerful and dreamy music to an adoring crowd. As the band opened their set with the song “Pharmacist” from their 2022 album Blue Rev, I noticed so many fans in the front smiling and singing along—one fan even held up a signed copy of Alvvays’ album Antisocialites. Alvvays’ setlist contained many songs from their latest album, but they also mixed in plenty of their older material, including the fan favorite “Archie, Marry Me”—which had everyone belting the anthemic chorus along. Alvvays’ Pitchfork Fest performance made the best soundtrack to the Friday sunset.

You can see more photos of all of these performances below, also including interviews with Alvvays, Perfume Genius and The Smile’s Jonny Greenwood done at the Door Dash Backstage DashPass experience. Stay tuned for coverage of days 2 and 3!

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categories / Gigs, Festival, Photos, Reviews
tags / Pitchfork Music Festival, Pitchfork, Music Festival, Sen Morimoto, Grace Ives, Youth Lagoon, Perfume Genius, Alvvays, The Smile, Nation of Language, Ric Wilson, KAINA, Chicago, Concert Photography, Photo Set, Live Review, Live Recap

Pitchfork Festival 2023: 7 Acts to Get There Early For

July 07, 2023 / Rachel Zyzda

2023’s Pitchfork Music Festival lineup is stacked with many incredible artists— including The Smile, Bon Iver, and Big Thief as this year’s headliners. However, we all know that some of the best moments of festivals can be getting there early and stumbling upon a new artist for an in-the-wild festival discovery. If you need guidance on which bands you should be arriving early for this year, tune into some of ANCHR’s top picks below. See you at Union Park on July 21, 22, and 23!

SEN MORIMOTO

You’ve likely heard the music of Chicago-based songwriter and multi-instrumentalist (and I mean all the instruments) Sen Morimoto, even if you didn’t know it because he’s collaborated with so many artists, including KAINA, Lala Lala, Ric Wilson, and Joseph Chilliams—just to name a few. Aside from his collaborative features, Morimoto has released much of his own music that journeys through a spectrum of different genres, including his 2018 debut entitled Cannonball! and his sophomore, self-titled record in 2020. Both releases were done with Sooper Records, a record label that Morimoto co-owns with fellow artists NNAMDÏ and Glenn Curran. Most recently, Morimoto released a single of the title-track from his upcoming album Diagnosis, which will be released November 3rd.

On his song “People Watching,” Morimoto raps “I write songs everywhere I go/everywhere I land/I don’t have a band, I don’t need a band” because he arranges and performs all of the instruments on his recorded music, but his Pitchfork set is bound to feature some familiar Chicago faces in his live band, making it a set you don’t want to miss.

For Fans Of: KAINA, NNAMDÏ, Mac Miller

Where/When: Friday, Green Stage, 2:30PM

DEEPER

Deeper is another integral Chicago act and an ANCHR favorite that will be performing at Pitchfork this year. Composed of Nic Gohl, Shiraz Bhatti, Drew McBride, and Kevin Fairbairn, Deeper’s signature sound over the years could be described as reimagined post-punk, but they have continued to evolve and expand their sonic depth across their two albums; 2018’s self-titled record and 2020’s Auto-Pain.

Most recently, Deeper has signed to Sub Pop and announced their third record, entitled Careful! and slated to be released in September this year. Deeper fans have gotten a taste of the third album with singles “Sub” and “Build a Bridge.” The former starts out with a frenzied crescendo of guitars and a quick drumbeat that’ll immediately energize you and get your body moving in time to the melody, which is something the band set out to do with this new album. Gohl says he and the band asked themselves “Does it feel good when you’re listening to this song? Does your body want to move with it?” when writing these songs. “Build a Bridge” starts off a little slower but quickly kicks in with a jangly guitar riff and hypnotizing synths, which makes me answer yes to both of the above questions. On both singles, Gohl’s distinctive vocals are still recognizable from the records of Deeper’s past, but there’s a crisper quality to them.

Make sure you catch Deeper’s set at Pitchfork to get a first glimpse at some of their newer songs.

For Fans Of: Omni, Dehd, Current Joys

Where/When: Saturday, Green Stage, 1:00PM

GRACE IVES

Another artist sure to make you feel good and want to move your body is Grace Ives, and who doesn’t want to feel that way when watching a festival performance? Grace Ives is a Brooklyn-based singer, songwriter and musician. Her catalog, which includes 2019’s 2nd and 2022’s Janky Star is jam-packed with bouncy drumbeats and dreamy synthesizers that meld with her silky vocals. Ives’ music has elements that have flashes of similarity to so many of favorites artists, from Caroline Polachek to Florence + The Machine, but there’s a quirky distinctiveness to her sound that sets her apart.

While Ives hasn’t released any new music since Janky Star, I’m looking forward to hearing many of those songs performed live. Stand outs from the record include “Angel Of Business” and “Lullaby.” The latter starts off with a reverb-drenched synthesizer melody before a traditional drumbeat kicks in and Ives sings lyrics about the comfort of routine and repetition, including “I watch that movie ten times a day/I can recite, you press replay.” She describes the song’s theme, saying, “This song is about the comfort and anxiety that comes with isolating yourself. Homebody’s anthem.“ It’ll be nice to hear the song at Pitchfork Fest as a celebration that we all switched up our usual routine for a day at a festival.

For Fans Of: Ethel Cain, Caroline Rose, Barrie

Where/When: Friday, Red Stage, 3:20PM

BLACK BELT EAGLE SCOUT

I first got the chance to see the Swinomish singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Katherine Paul, better known as Black Belt Eagle Scout, at SXSW Festival in 2019, and I can still recall being blown away by her live performance. If that’s not enough to convince you to catch her at Pitchfork Festival, you can tune into her expansive discography across her three albums—including 2018’s Mother of My Children, 2019’s At the Party With My Brown Friends and the most recent, 2023’s The Land, The Water, The Sky.

Black Belt Eagle Scout’s music often features a contrast of falsetto, gentle vocals against gritty, emotive guitar riffs. Paul’s single “Spaces” focuses on a sense of community and inclusion, sung in her signature gentle vocals over guitar and violin. The track not only features vocal contributions from her own parents, but Paul says, “I wrote ‘Spaces’ for an audience as a way to sing melodies of healing and care for them. Since starting Black Belt Eagle Scout, I have moved through many spaces, playing shows for crowds of people. I can’t always connect one on one with everyone and so this song is an attempt to bring my feelings of appreciation I have for everyone who supports my music to life.” This song will definitely be a special one to hear during Black Belt Eagle Scout’s Pitchfork set.

For Fans Of: Bully, Snail Mail, Slow Pulp

Where/When: Saturday, Blue Stage, 2:45PM

JOCKSTRAP

Jockstrap is another Pitchfork act that will be sure to energize you for the day ahead on the last day of the festival, while also giving you the chance to zen out with their entrancing music. Jockstrap is the duo of London-based musicians Georgia Ellery and Taylor Sky, which sees Ellery take on the roles of vocals, violin, and guitar, with Sky wearing the production hat and mixing in synthesizers, drum machines and additional vocals.

The duo has a sound that incorporates glitch, electro-pop and experimental genres across their range of EPs, singles, and first record. Their 2022 debut album I Love You Jennifer B explores a vast sonic landscape that is mellow and cinematic at times but will make you want to dance in other moments. If you’re looking for a set that will have a little bit of everything, make sure to catch Jockstrap.

For Fans Of: The xx, Zola Jesus, Black Country, New Road

Where/When: Sunday, Red Stage, 3:20PM

MJ LENDERMAN

You might recognize MJ Lenderman from his work with the Asheville-based band Wednesday, but he’ll be performing at Pitchfork Fest this year under his solo project.

Lenderman’s material will vibe perfectly with the mood on a second day of a festival; his music is full of fuzzed out guitars, lofi vocals, narrative-style lyrics and a twinge of twang. His songs like “Hangover Game,” “TV Dinners,” and “You Have Bought Yourself a Boat” will be the perfect tunes for a laid-back summer day, allowing you to ease into Saturday at Pitchfork.

Lenderman has released three solo albums, including a self-titled debut, 2021’s Ghost of Your Guitar Solo and 2022’s Boat Songs, so there will be no shortage of songs he could play during his set.

For Fans Of: Pinegrove, Wednesday, Rookie

Where/When: Saturday, Red Stage, 3:20PM

FLORIST

Florist is another act that will make for the perfect final-day-of-the-fest vibes with their mellow, chilled out catalog of indie folk songs. Florist is based in Brooklyn and composed of Emily Sprague, Rick Spataro, Jonnie Baker, and Felix Walworth.

The group began making music back in 2013, before releasing their debut album The Bird Outside Sang. Since then, they’ve put out another three albums, including an album in 2019 called Emily Alone which Emily Sprague wrote and recorded entirely solo. Their 2019 album If Blue Could Be Happiness includes some of my favorites of their songs, such as “The Fear of Losing This,” “Blue Mountain Road,” and “Instrumental 3”—the latter of which is a soothing and meditative (you guessed it) instrumental track. While there are some beautiful instrumental moments in their music, Sprague’s soft and airy vocals are often a highlight of Florist’s material.

Most recently, Florist released their self-titled fourth album last summer, so we can expect to hear plenty of that record during their Pitchfork set.

For Fans Of: Novo Amor, Phoebe Bridgers, Fenne Lily

Where/When: Sunday, Blue Stage, 2:45PM

View the full and most current schedule for the festival here, and stay tuned for our coverage of the full festival.

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categories / Festival, Gigs, Reviews
tags / Sen Morimoto, Deeper, Grace Ives, Black Belt Eagle Scout, Florist, Jockstrap, MJ Lenderman, Pitchfork Music Festival, Pitchfork, Music Festival, Preview, Union Park

Live Recap: Pitchfork Festival 2022 Day 2

July 18, 2022 / Rachel Zyzda

The second day of this year’s Pitchfork Festival kicked off on Saturday, July 16th. The rainy weather had cleared up, leaving behind a muddy Union Park for the fest’s second day.

When I arrived to the park on Saturday, I immediately noticed that larger crowds had come out for the fest that day—everything from the size of the crowd to the merch lines were larger.

I began my day catching a set from The Linda Lindas on the Green Stage, which was the original slot for Chubby and The Gang before they had to cancel their appearance here. I was sad to miss Chubby, but if anyone was going to fill in, I’d want it to be The Linda Lindas. The group composed of Bela Salazar, Eloise Wong, Lucia de la Garza, and Mila de la Garza has been garnering a huge fan base for their refreshing reboot of Riot Grrrl influences. While playing their set, the band members would often dance over to each other, demonstrating an incredible sense of chemistry and stage presence to go along with their great sound. Their setlist included songs from their album Growing Up, in addition to the track “Monica” from their self-titled EP—which Salazar dedicated to her cat named Monica. The group ended their set with a cover of Bikini Kill’s “Rebel Girl.”

Next up, The Armed began over on the Blue Stage, and this was absolutely the most bonkers, rowdiest show I think I’ve ever seen at Pitchfork. I absolutely loved it. The band is mysterious in the way that they’re a collective hardcore group with rotating, anonymous members, and their performance at Pitchfork included some of the members wearing costumes or face paint. With so many members in the rotation, they all took turns leading the vocals on the microphone, and they often joined fans out in the mosh pit. I’m looking forward to hopefully seeing The Armed back at Pitchfork another year on a bigger stage so they can expand upon their wild spectacle.

Hyd, the stage name of singer and performer Hayden Dunham, took the Red Stage next for a show that was a 180 from The Armed, but spectacular in its own way. Hyd entered the stage on her own, in a dramatic fashion, using movement to accentuate her music. “I have a few songs for you,” she told the audience before performing her single “The Look On Your Face.” If you’re a fan of Caroline Polachek, you should listen to Hyd not only because the two have collaborated together, but because they produce a similar style of music and stage presence. Hyd had a flowery, hazy vibe about her and she glided across the stage through choreographed movement.

Saturday was all about the theatrical choreography because next up, Yeule brought similar vibes back on the Blue Stage. Yeule is the alias for vocalist, songwriter and producer Nat Ćmiel from Singapore. Fans flocked to see Yeule perform, and she did not disappoint and she fluidly moved along to her glitch-pop tracks. As she performed songs from her 2022 album Glitch Princess, Yeule’s stage persona was amplified by her costume and dramatic make up that balanced the delicacy of her ethereal vocals.

Next up, Dry Cleaning brought their effortlessly cool vibes to the Green Stage, performing their mix of experimental rock, spoken word and post punk. For their second song, they brought out a guest saxophone player, and the sax guest seemed to be the theme of the weekend as it kept popping up in different sets. Dry Cleaning mostly performed songs from their 2021 album New Long Leg, but they also included their new single “Don’t Press Me.”

The duo of Mica Tenenbaum and Matthew Lewin, aka Magdalena Bay, brought their synth pop over to the Red Stage. The pair came onstage in coordinated outfits, with Tenenbaum sporting a microphone headset similar to those that Britney Spears and other 90s pop divas wore. I saw Magdalena Bay perform at Lincoln Hall earlier this year and was struck by how intense their fanbase was, and that same energy was present amongst the crowd at their Pitchfork performance. Tenenbaum danced and swirled across the stage during their entire set, as she and the band performed songs from their album Mercurial World.

The night wrapped up with a trio of Indie Darlings, the first being Lucy Dacus over on the Green Stage. Dacus took the stage wearing a brightly-colored outfit featuring rainbow and cloud details, and her fans were some of the most vocal of the entire festival. I could hardly hear Dacus over the sounds of fans shouting along the lyrics to songs like “Hot & Heavy” and “Night Shift.” The last time I had seen Lucy Dacus, she had performed at Thalia Hall, laying on a couch the entire time because of herniated discs, so it was wonderful to see her return to performing in full form. Towards the end of her set, Dacus even treated the festival audience to a cover of the iconic “Believe” by Cher, which was the first time she’s performed this cover live.

Japanese Breakfast closed out the Red Stage for Saturday night, a level up from the last time the band had performed at Pitchfork over on the Blue Stage. Michelle Zauner brought along a stage full of musicians in addition to her regular bandmates, adding depth to her songs with string musicians and a saxophone. The set opened with Zauner banging a gong during “Parprika,” while the rest of the set had her rotating between playing guitar or dancing around the span of the stage. Towards the end of the show, Jeff Tweedy joined Japanese Breakfast as a guest vocalist, singing “Kokomo, IN” from the album Jubilee. The band and Tweedy also performed a cover of Wilco’s “Jesus, Etc…” and Zauner thanked Tweedy by saying “Jeff tweedy is my favorite songwriter of all time.”

The second day of the festival concluded with Mitski, who was welcomed onstage with overwhelming applause. Mitski sauntered onstage to moody lighting framing her graceful movement. Mitski put out her sixth album Laurel Hell earlier this year, and her set featured some of those songs like “Working for the Knife” and “The Only Heartbreaker,” but she also sprinkled in tunes from earlier albums like 2018’s Be the Cowboy and Puberty 2. Mitski’s stage presence was the perfect way to end the theatrical tone of the second day at Pitchfork.

See the full photo recap below, and stay tuned for coverage of the third day of the festival.

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categories / Reviews, Gigs, Photos, Festival
tags / Pitchfork Music Festival, Pitchfork, Live Music, Live Review, Live Recap, Mitski, Japanese Breakfast, Lucy Dacus, Magdalena Bay, The Armed, The Linda Lindas, Hyd, Yeule, Dry Cleaning, Jeff Tweedy

Live Recap: Pitchfork Festival 2022 Day 1

July 16, 2022 / Rachel Zyzda

Pitchfork Music Festival kicked off Friday, July 15th in Union Park, returning to its usual timeslot after a move to September in 2021.

The forecast for Friday predicted rain and cloudy conditions all day, but fortunately no immediate threat of lightning or thunder delays– so the show continued on! Festival-goers donned ponchos and rain boots and rallied to make it through the weather.

ANCHR kicked the day off with singer-songwriter Ethel Cain on the Red Stage, whose moody and mellow music made the perfect soundtrack for the gloomy skies. Cain’s production and stage presence were both very minimal and stripped back, but she still captivated the early crowd with her hypnotizing vocals. As her set continued on, the pace picked up and the set ended with the single “Crush.”

Next up, Spirit of the Beehive took the Green Stage as the audience got a temporary pause from the rain. The band members Zack Schwartz, Rivka Ravede, and Corey Wichlin took the stage to a sweeping soundscape of samples that lended a cinematic quality to their introduction. Their set heavily featured songs from their 2021 album Entertainment, Death, and the band members all played multiple instruments to be able to create the depth and dynamics of their songs.

Houston rapper Monaleo kicked off the music for the Blue Stage next, replacing Tkay Maidza’s spot, who unfortunately had to cancel due to Visa issues. Despite the last minute change, fans still flocked to see Monaleo, who even got a little emotional at the show of support from the crowd. “I had a tough week, but feeling this energy has really shifted my mood,” she told the crowd. Everyone loved her energy, especially during the performance of her single "Beating Down Yo Block,” which went viral on TikTok.

At this point in the afternoon, light rain turned to full on downpour right as Spelling took the Blue Stage around 4PM. Fans still persevered to see her set, but I unfortunately only saw a few minutes of it. Spelling is the musical alias of Tia Cabral, and I had really been looking forward to her performance of her experimental pop tunes. The few minutes I did catch were full of magnetizing energy, and she had a great stage set up featuring back up singers and dancers.

Another set I had been highly anticipating on Friday was Indigo De Souza, but I spent all of her set taking shelter from the downpour, so I unfortunately don’t have any photos from her performance. On the bright side, I did get to hear most of her set and she sounded stunning.

The rain started to slow down, so I trekked back to the Blue Stage for another one of my highly-anticipated bands— Camp Cope. The Australian trio composed of Georgia "Georgia Maq" McDonald, Kelly-Dawn Hellmrich, and Sarah "Thomo" Thompson are self-described “power emo” (according to their Instagram bio), and honestly that description is pretty fitting to their sound. Georgia sings with such a powerful sense of conviction and performs with such an emotive energy, and the front row at Pitchfork Fest matched the band’s enthusiasm by eagerly echoing the lyrics back to them. Some highlights of their setlist included “Running with the Hurricane,” which is the title track from their latest album and a deeper cut called “How to Socialise and Make Friends.”

Camp Cope played at the same time as Tierra Whack, so I unfortunately missed most of Tierra’s set, but I heard that she brought a fan from the front of the crowd onstage to rap with her—which I’m sure made that fan’s entire festival experience.

The rain continued to be touch and go the rest of the evening, but we hit another clear patch just in time for Parquet Courts back at the Green Stage. The New York band has played Pitchfork Festival a few times, and they always draw a big crowd to dance and mosh along with their set. This year’s set from Parquet Courts included some new music, like the 2022 single “Plant Life.”

At the same time, Dawn Richard took the Blue Stage, and brought all the pizazz and persona to the audience, performing in a beautiful, sparkly outfit that coordinated to her backing dancers. Her set featured a rearranged cover of “Don’t Speak” by No Doubt, which the audience loved.

While Spiritualized closed things down on the Red Stage, Amber Mark brought her soulful pop to the Blue Stage to close it down for the night. Amber Mark glided around the stage, performing songs from her debut record Three Dimensions Deep and the crowd intently appreciated the performance.

Finally, the time came for the evening’s headliners The National to perform, and they had the perfect conditions for it. The sky had cleared up, and a subtle breeze passed through Union Park as the largest crowd of the day gathered for the final act. The lead singer of The National Matt Berninger told the audience “we’ve missed you” before the band began the show with “Don't Swallow the Cap” from their 2013 album Trouble Will Find Me. Throughout the day, I witnessed many fans excitedly watching artists they admire perform songs that they love, but nothing compared to the admiration I witnessed from the audience during The National’s set. The same appreciation echoed back from the band too, as Berninger told the crowd “It’s so good to be back here. We missed this park, it’s such a cool vibe” before they performed “Light Years.” The majority of The National’s show ventured through their discography, pulling in songs from albums like High Violet and Sleep Well Beast, in addition to performing new songs like “Tropic Morning News,” which Berninger introduced as one they’ve been trying out. Before the show wrapped up, Berninger left his post on stage and ventured out into the audience to sing along next to the fans, reiterating the strong bond between the band’s fanbase and himself.

See the full photo recap of Day 1 below, and stay tuned for coverage of the rest of the fest all weekend!

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categories / Festival, Gigs, Photos, Reviews
tags / Parquet Courts, Ethel Cain, Camp Cope, The National, Spirit of the Beehive, Tierra Whack, Monaleo, Spiritualized, Amber Mark, Dawn Richard, Spelling, Music Festival, Live Review, Live Music, Live Recap, Pitchfork Music Festival, Pitchfork, Union Park

Acts To Get There Early For: Pitchfork Festival 2022

July 01, 2022 / Rachel Zyzda

Pitchfork Festival returns to its usual slot at Union Park this July, after taking place in September last year. The annual music fest will feature some of our favorite acts as headliners, like The National, Mitski, and The Roots—among other performers like Japanese Breakfast, Toro y Moi, Parquet Courts and Lucy Dacus. As always though, the P4k line up is packed with tons of hidden gems that will put on incredible sets. Tune in below to hear some of the acts of the festival that ANCHR will be showing up early to Union Park to catch.

Friday

Ethel Cain

Singer songwriter Ethel Cain writes about some harrowing and dark themes, but she has mastered the craft of depicting sadness in her music through such a refined and beautiful lens. Cain delivers these stories with reverberated, ethereal vocals and captivating melodies that make it hard not to become instantly enchanted by the songs “A House in Nebraska,” “Hard Times,” and “Crush”—just to name a few.

Cain grew up in a Southern Baptist family in Florida and sang in the choir, but ultimately left the churn as a teen when she came out to her family as gay. On her twentieth birthday, Cain came out publicly as a transgender woman. Cain nods to her religious upbringing with the title of her debut record Preacher’s Daughter, which was just released in May of 2022. The debut album follows up the EPs Golden Age and Inbred, which Cain released in 2019 and 2021 respectively.

If you’re looking for a festival set that will get you feeling all your feelings, while also sounding absolutely stunning, do not miss Ethel Cain at Pitchfork on Friday.

Start With: “American Teenager,” “Gibson Girl” and “Crush”

For Fans Of: Hatchie, MUNA, Zola Jesus

Where to catch her: 1:45-2:25 pm, Red Stage

SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE

Here at ANCHR, we love a good experimental rock band, so naturally, we’re fans of SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE. The Philadelphia-based band has had a history of rotating members, but currently the group is composed of Zack Schwartz, Rivka Ravede, and Corey Wichlin— who all wear multiple hats for the band, contributing everything from vocals, keys, guitar, bass and drums. The shuffling around of band duties likely contributes to the diverse and expansive genre-sphere that the group has created.

The band’s name comes from a 1973 Spanish film with the same title, which is fitting because their sound has a cinematic quality to it. The band describes their song “THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN'T DO” from their 4th album ENTERTAINMENT, DEATH as being one showcases the growth they’ve undergone from their inception to current day. "This song draws on some of the sonic aesthetic of SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE's old records and aligns those sounds with the electronic instrumentation we've been exploring," Wichlin says.

SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE will certainly keep us on our toes during their performance, which makes them a perfect way to kick off the festival on Friday afternoon.

Start With: “There’s Nothing You Can’t Do,” “fell asleep with a vision"" and “Natural Devotion”

For Fans Of: Squid, Dry Cleaning, black midi

Where to catch them: 2:30-3:15 pm, Green Stage

Saturday

Jeff Parker & the New Breed

At ANCHR, we also love a versatile artist, and with Jeff Parker, there’s not much he hasn’t dabbled in. Parker was born in Bridgeport, CT and has been making music since 1991, pushing boundaries with his guitar playing and composing via an array of collaborations. Parker is a member of the band Tortoise, and has also worked with the likes of Andrew Bird, Yo La Tengo, and George Lewis—just to name a few.

There’s a effortlessly breezy tone to Parker’s style, which incorporates everything from jazz to folk to rock to pop. The bio on Parker’s website says his works “explore and exploit the contrary relationships between tradition and technology, improvisation and composition, and the familiar and the abstract” and that truly comes across as you listen through his catalog of music.

Parker also has local ties to Chicago as a founding member of the groups Isotope 217˚ and Chicago Underground. If you’re looking for a festival set that will be equal parts fascinating and soothing, make sure you catch Jeff Parker & the New Breed. We think it will be the perfect way to kick off the second day of the festival.

Start With: “Suffolk,” “Cliche” and “Soul Love”

For Fans Of: Anderson .Paak, Tortoise, Ben LaMar Gay

Where to catch them 1:00-1:40pm, Green Stage

Chubby and the Gang

While Charlie, aka "Chubby,” Manning-Walker of Chubby and the Gang has been involved with different bands in the British scene since 2004, he only formed this variation of an ensemble in 2019. The West London-based group consists of Ethan Stahl, Tom "Razor" Hardwick, Maegan Brooks Mills and Joe McMahon alongside Manning-Walker. The lineup is composed of different members of hardcore punk bands Arms Race, Vile Spirit and Gutter Knife.

Similarly to the bands they came from, Chubby and the Gang’s songs have a classic punk feel to them, full of bright drumbeats and cheeky lyrics—but they also mix in other genres and influences. In the short few years since the group formed, Chubby and the Gang has already released two full-length albums, including their sophomore release The Mutt’s Nuts, which was produced by Jonah Falco of Fucked Up and put out via Partisan Records. Most recently, Chubby and the Gang added an EP to their discography, entitled Labour of Love, and aptly released on Valentine’s Day this year.

I have yet to see the band perform, but I just know they’re going to be great at getting the crowd amped up and ready to take on the second day of Pitchfork Festival.

Start With: “Coming Up Tough,” I Hate The Radio” and “All Along The Uxbridge Road”

For Fans Of: Turnstile, PUP, Fontaines D.C.

Where to catch them: 2:30-3:15pm:, Green Stage

Sunday

L’Rain

ANCHR’s Sunday picks are all about the vibes and escapism. L’Rain is a Brooklyn-based singer and musician who composes experimental and mesmerizing songs— imagine losing yourself in a soundbath in the rain, and that’s kind of what L’Rain’s “Heavy (But Not In Wait)” feels like to me.

L’Rain is the moniker for Taja Cheek, who grew up around family with a music business background— her dad worked in music marketing and promotion and her grandfather owned a jazz club. Cheek’s moniker is also a tribute to her mother, Lorraine C. Porter, who unfortunately passed away before Cheek released her debut album.

L’Rain’s music has such a glossy fluidity to it, and that’s probably in part due to the ballet and dance that Cheek studied while growing up. In addition to dance, Cheek learned to play a multitude of different instruments— including bass, piano and cello. As if that’s not all, Cheek even studied music and American Studies while attending Yale, no big deal.

To date, L’Rain has put out two albums; 2017’s self-titled debut and 2021’s Fatigue. Be sure to attend her set on Sunday and drift away to a mix of L’Rain’s unique musical stylings.

Start With: “Find It,” “Two Face” and “Heavy (But Not In Wait)”

For Fans Of: Circuit des Yeux, Cassandra Jenkins, Animal Collective

Where to catch them 1:45-2:25pm, Red Stage

KAINA

Like I said, the Sunday acts are all about the escapism vibes, and Chicago’s own KAINA has the silky smooth vocals and dreamy tunes to help you drift into your personal oasis at Pitchfork.

KAINA is a first-generation Latina and was born and raised in Chicago, and she does an incredible job of composing her songs so that they fuse together Latin-inspired sounds with Chicago soul and blues. You can hear her influences shine through, yet her sound is something completely unique.

In addition to the Chicago influences that we’ll hear in KAINA’s set, there’s a strong chance we’ll see some other hometown artists joining her onstage at the fest— she’s collaborated with Sen Morimoto, Saba, and Nnamdi just to name a few. I’m also looking forward to hearing songs from KAINA’s sophomore album It Was a Home, which was released this year as a follow up to 2019’s debut Next to The Sun.

There’s a lot going wrong in the world right now, but I have no doubt we can all temporarily sway away our problems while watching KAINA.

Start With: “Golden Mirror,” “Could Be a Curse” and “Apple”

For Fans Of: Jamila Woods, Cuco, Wet
Where to catch her: 2:30-3:15pm, Green Stage

See the full Pitchfork Festival schedule here, and get ready by listening to the playlist below.

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categories / Festival, Gigs, Music
tags / Ethel Cain, L'Rain, Jeff Parker, Chubby and the Gang, Spirit of the Beehive, KAINA, Pitchfork Music Festival, Pitchfork, P4K, Music Festival, Preview, Chicago