Coachella is Back for Another Year

Brendan Sheehan l Associate Editor

The dry heat of the Coachella valley spring sets over the Empire Polo Club.

Flaunty high fashion meets muddy, campy cargo pants and face paint. Unspeakable substances and diseases travel from person to person, like fish spilling out of a broken tank.

What other paradise could it be besides the iconic Coachella music festival in Indio, California?

Coachella will take place each Friday, Saturday and Sunday from April 14 to 24. The event headlines artists Bad Bunny, Blackpink and Frank Ocean, with 164 other artists performing over six days.

The 2023 lineup seems much more promising than last year, considering the return of several beloved indie pop, hip-hop and R&B icons that were surprisingly absent last year in a lineup headlining Billie Eilish, Harry Styles, and Ye (need I say more.)

As pop culture shifts towards more independent styles of music instead of the previous industry sound of poor synth and bass-drops, the new diverse mainstream is replacing the old.

We now see everything from the somber sounds of the southern experience of Ethel Cain to the Legendary Bollywood beats of Diljit Dosanjh appreciated by young music lovers in the southern California scene. The value is once again placed on the individuality of the artist and their sound.

Coachella is also featuring some classic oldies like artist Bjork and rock band Blondie, still proving their relevance even decades after their initial reign.

Even some chronically underrated new artists like Magdalena Bay will have the chance to bolster their relevance at this widely viewed event.

Bren’s picks

1. Angele – Flou

2. Bjork – Possibly Maybe

3. Blondie – Call me

4. Cannons – Fire for you

5. Charli XCX – yuck!

6. Christine and the Queens – Doesn’t Matter

7. Diljit Dosanjh – Ju Think

8. Dominic Fike – Westcoast Collective

9. DPR Live – Jasmine

10. Ethel Cain – Thoroughfare

11. Frank Ocean – Bad Religion

12. Gorillaz – Stylo

13. Horsegirl – Billy

14. Joy Crookes – Feel don’t feel me now

15. Kali Ulchis – la luna enamorada

16. Magdalena Bay – How to get physical

17. Pi’erre Bourne – 4U

18. Rosalia – Baghdad

19. UMI – Introspection

20. Wet leg – Too Late Now

21. Weyes Blood – Wild Side

22. Yves Tumor – Kerosene!