Coachella season is upon us!
Every year, musicians from around the globe descend upon our desert to perform at one of the biggest music festivals in the world—and every year, people complain about the lineup.
Recent Facebook comments include:
So basically you are appealing to one audience and saying f**k everyone else?
Such random lineups. Have fun being brainwashed, guys and gals.
In reality … this year’s lineup has a lot to like—even if some of the names aren’t quite as recognizable. Across genres and generations, newer acts echo, reinterpret and revive the sounds pioneered by their predecessors, making the music offerings more congruent than often observed.
At a festival often defined by contrast, it’s interesting to note how many artists share sonic similarities. Here are a few of my Coachella comparisons.
Iggy Pop <—> Turnstile
Iggy Pop is, without question, a pioneer of punk rock. In the late ’60s, his band the Stooges burst onto the scene with rough, crunchy guitar riffs leading loud rock anthems. Frontman Iggy Pop’s wild energy and screaming vocals brilliantly captured a raw, real and rowdy sound, and the band’s ability to pack albums with one fuzz-filled rager after another inspired an entire generation of frantic rockers.
Largely with his solo career, Iggy Pop also showed the ability to carry a punk-rock attitude into softer and groovier music. He went from ferocious and fast tunes like “Search and Destroy” and “I Wanna Be Your Dog” to danceable odes such as “The Passenger” and “Lust for Life.”
Iggy Pop’s punk to semi-pretty pipeline is similar to the trajectory of Turnstile.
In the beginning, Turnstile was bona fide hardcore punk, with scream-filled vocals, fast and heavy guitars, and quick tunes that were all loud, all the time. As the years went on, the band began embracing pop, disco and other genres that brightened up their heavy sound. Frontman Brendan Yates’ vocals shifted from chanting and screaming to emphatic, hooky lines that are still as powerful as before, yet now embrace more melodics.
Today, Turnstile is the face of modern punk and hardcore. With songs like “NEVER ENOUGH” and “HOLIDAY,” they have shown how heavy and pretty sounds can co-exist within a single piece of music.
Kaskade <—> Duke Dumont
Kaskade is a true house music force—a dance-anthem deliverer throughout the 2000s and 2010s.
Thanks to the glitchy-synth bop “Move for Me,” a collaboration with electronica icon Deadmau5, the world tuned into Kaskade’s body-moving music. The ’00s and ’10s saw more collabs with Deadmau5, and plenty of pulsating hit songs. Tracks like “Atmosphere” and “Disarm You” came at a crucial time for electronic music, and his signature blend of trippy vocal effects, booming bass, endless grooves and pounding rhythms propelled house and EDM in the 2010s.
Thanks to Kaskade, artists like Duke Dumont have come along—and flipped house music on its head.
Emerging during the ’10s surge of infectious, electronic jams, Duke Dumont followed in Kaskade’s footsteps by crafting his own blend of hypnotic sounds—that are funk-tastic! Dumont detours from the boomy EDM tinges of Kaskade, and dives head-first into house sounds that move and groove. Tracks like “Won’t Look Back” and “I Got U” established his name, but 2020 hit “Ocean Drive” catapulted Duke Dumont into deep-house star status. Don’t miss the bouncy beats reverberating across the polo grounds!
Suicidal Tendencies <—> Die Spitz
Representing the SoCal punk scene at Coachella is Suicidal Tendencies.
Suicidal Tendencies emerged onto the scene in the ’80s with a maniacal mix of punk and metal. Outrageous and thrashy guitar shreds over outspoken vocal performances cycled through themes of struggling to conform with society and growing frustration with the world. The band created speedy metal ragers like “You Can’t Bring Me Down” and “Trip at the Brain,” and pulverizing punk selections including “Subliminal” and “Cyco Vision.” Their most notable hit, “Institutionalized,” developed and certified a signature crossover sound bridging the sonic worlds of thrash and punk.
Die Spitz emerged in 2022, and in a few short years, have established themselves as one badass band, gaining fans in both the punk and metal spheres thanks to a mix of loud sounds. Their top two streaming songs—“Throw Yourself to the Sword” and “Hair of Dog”—showcase the diverse, but still heavy, sonic offerings of Die Spitz, which is German for “the pointed” or “the sharp.” They’re not afraid to push boundaries, carrying loud and loaded guitars into shoegaze sounds on “Punishers” and the pop-infused rock ballad “Voir Dire.” The all-girl four-piece trades instruments and vocal duties from song to song, and uses lyrics to empower women—and degrade obsessive men. Their set at Coachella will welcome a new generation of moshers!
The Strokes <—> Royel Otis
Indie rock as we know it today would not exist without The Strokes.
Debut album Is This It and follow-up Room on Fire set the 2000s ablaze with a signature rock edge that would define a genre and an era of music. Crunchy and dreamy guitars led fun, scorching rock bangers to the top of the charts, reviving guitar-driven rock and ushering in a new era of garage rock. Frontman Julian Casablancas, often with a treble boost on his vocals, paired relaxed singing and shouting over guitarist Albert Hammond Jr.’s complex mix of grunge, twang and bright tones—and in the process, The Strokes became rock legends. In the 2020s, the band is still uber-popular; the streaming and TikTok success of their latest album, 2020’s The New Abnormal, just might match the radio and MTV success of earlier hits “Reptilia,” “Last Nite” and “Someday.”
The duo of Royel Maddell and Otis Pavlovic craft interesting indie as Royel Otis, as they push guitar tunes into popular music spheres. Reverb-soaked guitar tones guide each track, as bright production and poppy vocals lend head-bopping qualities to the sonic mix. Selections like “Kool Aid” and “Sofa King” mix jangly guitar with edgy chords, and unite the stringed sonics with melancholy, laid-back vocal deliveries akin to Casablanca’s nonchalant vibe. Their online hits and captivating covers (check out “Murder on the Dancefloor” and “Linger”—the latter is trending on TikTok) show there is still hope for guitar music in the pop world.
Clipse <—> fakemink
Clipse are bringing nostalgic rap to Coachella.
Rappers/brothers Pusha T and Malice constitute the two-piece historical hip-hop outfit. In the 2000s, their hit “Grindin’” established the duo as a gangsta-rap force, with a repertoire of heavy beats, impressive flows and lyrical genius. They put out hits like the funky and fiery “When the Last Time” and enjoyed collaborations with Pharrell Williams, Faith Evans, Jermaine Dupri and others, constantly adding more to the gritty, intense musical vibe. After a hiatus and successful solo careers, the siblings have teamed up again, and their newest album, Let God Sort Em Out, carries the aggressive beats and ferocious flow into the modern era, complete with features from Kendrick Lamar, Tyler, The Creator, and others.
Continuing the boom-bap vibe in the 2020s is fakemink, whose endless flows on top of loud bass and crashing drums offer similar vibes to Clipse—albeit with more beats. A viral rapper from the United Kingdon, fakemink (aka Vincenzo Camille) has filled streaming charts with decibel-crushing beats and bar after bar of stream-of-consciousness lyrics about love, loneliness and drugs. While tracks like “Music and Me” and “Easter Pink” will surely energize Indio, his most notable tracks are features on the raucous rap rager “LV Sandals” from EsDeeKid, and his contribution to the boomy, electro anthem “Fever” from Buckshot.
David Byrne <—> Geese
David Byrne is the king of weird pop. He is the frontman and multi-instrumentalist of Talking Heads, a group that began in the mid-’70s and went on to be extremely successful without a clearly definable genre.
Through spacey-funk vibes on “Once in a Lifetime,” dramatic post-punk on “Psycho Killer” and electronic bliss on “This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody),” the band’s weird mix of sounds and styles cemented their status as one of the most unique bands in music history. The band’s stage show—featuring Byrne’s eccentric outfits and abstract dance moves—were often criticized for being overtly artsy, and some people claim the band is extremely overrated. Byrne now tours and releases music as a solo act—carrying that musical weirdness into the modern era.
Another band that has been criticized for being overly artsy is Geese. As with Talking Heads, every Geese song seems to stem from an entirely different sonic world.
Despite online hate, Geese are on their way to being the next great rock band. Vocalist/guitarist Cameron Winter parallels Bob Dylan, pairing a raspy, accent-heavy drawl with a sultry, serenading style, as the band traverses through jangly rock on “Taxes,” somber folk on “Au Pays du Cocaine” and the jazz-inspired avant-garde “Trinidad.”
Their hard-to-pin-down sonic mix has helped the band gain notoriety—and intense criticism. Geese performed on Saturday Night Live in January—a performance some critics said made them the “worst musical guest of all time”.
Whether you love them or hate them, it’s worth catching the band at Coachella; their set may just catapult them into weirdo-rock stardom.
Black Flag <—> The Chats
Black Flag may just be the most famous punk-rock band. Their abrasive rock stylings defined hardcore punk as they picked up the torch from bands like The Stooges—and burned it even brighter.
Ear-piercing guitar, unrelenting bass guitar and cracking drums laid down a musical bed, and whether they were from original singer Keith Morris, or most notable Flag vocalist Henry Rollins, the loud and powerful vocals rounded the punk experience into punchy, catchy and mosh-pit-inducing fits of sonic insanity. Fast and frenetic tunes like “Rise Above” and “My War” raged with anti-establishment themes, while other barnburners such as “Six Pack” and “TV Party” infused the heavy with humor.
The Chats are a modern band accelerating down the figurative roads paved by Black Flag.
The Australian trio pack punch and power into memorable punk anthems. In “6L GTR,” the band members are “fangin’ down the highway,” carrying with them a propulsive sound that ignites, sparks, accelerates … and a few other car metaphors. Thanks to intense musical energy and irresistible Aussie charm, they crank out wild yet comical rock bangers about bar food (“Pub Feed”), the importance of a smoke break (“Smoko”) and getting “Struck by Lightning.” That said, The Chats honor punk’s anti-establishment roots, calling for the death of Parliament members on “The Price of Smokes” and critiquing America’s obsession with firearms on “The Kids Need Guns.”
Foster the People <—> sombr
In the 2010s, Foster the People earned fans thanks to irresistibly catchy jams. Upbeat tempos, earworm synths and crisp drums combined to create happy, harmonious tunes like “Houdini” and “Call It What You Want.” Landmark song “Pumped Up Kicks,” an unmistakably groovy psych/electronic jam, not only became the biggest song of their career, but one of biggest songs in the world for the time. It currently sits at more than 2.4 billion streams on Spotify alone—and the desert will soon be singing and dancing along to the indie epic.
Sombr is the 2020s’ torchbearer of a trademark ’10s sound. Navigating both electronic-dance and dreamy-indie worlds, sombr produces a modern version of Foster the People’s moving and soothing sound. Tracks like “12 to 12” offer fun, high-tempo grooves, while “We Never Dated” dives deep into delay, reverb and other psychedelically spacey sounds. The voice of sombr (aka Shane Michael Boose) is bright and poppy, carrying an upbeat vibe even through morose lyrical subject matter—much like Foster the People made a dance-y song, some speculate, about a school shooting (“Pumped Up Kicks”).
Devo <—> Model/Actriz
Whether they wore red “energy domes” on their heads or donned yellow jumpsuits, Devo were the strange-music mavens of the ’70s and ’80s. With the help of an offbeat and quirky reworking of a Rolling Stones song that turned the signature guitar sound of “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” into an electronic, effects-heavy head-turner, Devo became known for their abstract sound. While punk ragers like “Uncontrollable Urge” and synthy bops like “Girl U Want” earned the band fans across the new-wave scene, mega-hit “Whip It” established the band as true innovators.
Model/Actriz have been operating in a similar fashion with their fusion. In a similar monotone vocal style to that of Devo’s Mark Mothersbaugh, Model/Actriz vocalist Cole Haden plays the role of a creepy narrator, using few notes and an often-emotionless vocal delivery. Musically, punk-rock elements intertwine with synths and electronic drums, resulting in experimental noise jams. Boppy songs like “Mosquito” and more danceable gems like “Cinderella” showcase the Devo-esque intersection of electronic and punk—with a hint of quirk.
Interpol <—> Wet Leg
While Interpol is often grouped with other indie heavyweights of the era such as The Strokes, Arctic Monkeys and The White Stripes, the band sticks out for a variety of good reasons. Off-rhythm bass and drum lines on “Evil” and “Obstacle 1” could make for shaky and unstable rhythms, but masterful guitarwork and powerful vocals perfectly accentuate and color the spaces around these potentially off-putting jabs and pauses. The band excels in showcasing strong rock sounds with a tender alternative edge—allowing Interpol to exist perfectly between beauty and badass.
Wet Leg have perpetuated the charm of weird rock over the past few years. Through breakout hits like “Wet Dream” and “Chaise Longue,” the U.K. group sprinkles sporadic guitar lines and unconventional vocal noises onto hype, guitar-driven jams. Those two songs became festival anthems (like at Coachella in 2023) despite a dash of musical departures. The band’s latest LP has showcased Wet Leg’s ability to turn bold choices into bangers. “Catch These Fists” perfectly encapsulates that Interpol-style vibe of heavy indie jams mixed with unique sonic choices that raise eyebrows at first—before becoming your favorite part of the song.
The Rapture <—> Ecca Vandal
Existing somewhere between post-punk and dance rock, The Rapture’s music features rhythmic and raging tracks that always warrant body movement. Echoes, their 2003 LP, birthed hits like “Echoes” and “House of Jealous Lovers,” writing the next page of new wave by invoking the edgy and exciting sounds of bands like B-52’s and Gang of Four. The songs clash loud, frenzied guitars with never-ending, groove-tastic drums, with help from frontman Luke Jenner’s high-pitched and intense vocals. As the years went on, The Rapture explored more synth-driven jams like “How Deep Is Your Love?” and less-intense rock tracks such as “Pieces of the People We Love.”
Ecca Vandal rolls between heavy and hip-shaking material. While driving-rock anthem “Cruising to Self Soothe” is her biggest hit, her other songs showcase more moving musical moments. “Molly” infuses 808 bass with down-tuned guitar; “Bleed but Never Die” keeps the energy up with the help of emphatic, vocal exclamations; and the musical insanity of “Broke Days, Party Nights” manages to match the raucous rock and dubious disco vibes of The Rapture.
