Nightlife + Dining
Ani Gutierrez
ICYMI: Artists Who Debuted New Music at Coachella
From KATSEYE to Kaskade, these are the live performances everyone is talking about.
- By: Amanda Coscarelli | Photo By: Bryce Glenn
Weekend 1 of the festival just wrapped and although we’re sad it’s over, we can’t wait to relive it all in just a few days. But while we patiently await Weekend 2, let’s relive the highlights.
In the days and weeks leading up to Coachella, many artists release new music so they can debut it live on stage during their set. And while, yes, you’ve probably already streamed the tracks more times than you can count, live versions are soooo important. They can completely change the way you hear a song, or the feelings it evokes. Instrumentals are amplified so you can hear chords you didn’t even know you were missing. And when an artist is singing in front of you, the lyrics just hit differently. Sometimes you don’t truly understand the meaning of a song until it floats through the desert wind and slaps you in the face with dust and delirium. That’s what makes live music so intoxicating. That’s what people spend thousands of dollars for. It’s the feeling you just can’t replicate no matter how many times you play the track at home. It’s that feeling you can’t describe to your friends– you just had to be there.
But if you weren’t there, don’t worry. As a music editor, I’ve rounded up my favorite live debuts of the weekend. Here’s everything you missed, and everything you need to catch on Weekend 2.
During his set on Friday, April 10, Teddy Swims, known for his karaokeable hit “I Lose Control” debuted his brand new track (released April 9) “Mr. Know It All.” With a self awareness and edge that’s just as relatable as it is catchy, the song had the audience singing along just a day after its release. The song begins with a layered beat that’s reminiscent of Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know,” but quickly takes a fiery approach to the realization that things between two people just aren’t going to work out. It’s honest and it’s angry, and I can’t wait to scream it on stage a few drinks deep at a dive bar.
KATSEYE: PINKY UP
Later that night, this year’s biggest girl group took to the Sahara Tent to debut their newest single, “PINKY UP,” also released on April 9. If anyone knows how to convince an audience that their brand new song is already a hit, it’s Katseye. They walked out with fierce energy and choreography you’ll definitely be seeing all over TikTok. It’s electric, it’s self confident and it feels just a little dangerous, like you should definitely have a healthy fear of women. The performance received a stamp of approval from the roaring crowd and fans whose cheers echoed as every member of the group sang their solo.
The Strokes are officially back with a new single “Going Shopping” that was released on April 7. On Saturday, they took to the main stage to play the song, which sits somewhere between Julian’s other band, The Voidz, and the Strokes’ pandemic era album, The New Abnormal. It’s chaotic and diabolical, touching on losing faith in a world on the brink of collapse but wrapped in fuck-it-we-ball energy. The live version of the song was a lot less synthy and robotic, and it sounded a lot more like a classic Strokes performance, where guitar and keys took center stage. The track feels like something you can awkwardly dance to while you sip on something strong and believe me, this one will only get better as the drinks start hitting.
On the Mojave Stage, Aussie surf-rock duo Royel Otis debuted their latest track, “Sweet Hallelujah,” which was released as a stand alone single on April 9. It sounds like a love letter but was described by the band as a “letter of goodbye,” which explains the cinematic nature of the song. It’s instrumentally heavy with a sound that feels like the rising and falling action of an intense romance novel, and the lyrics feel like they’re crying out to someone who can no longer hear them. It’s the epic backdrop of a love story that plays at the end of the movie, and the band’s live performance cemented this as the song grew louder and more powerful with each line. This one was literally made for the upcoming “The Summer I Turned Pretty” film– I’m manifesting it here.
On Saturday evening, Sombr took to the Outdoor Theater to perform his newest song “Homewrecker” live for the first time. The track, which was released on Feb. 5, dives into the dichotomy of wanting to be with someone who’s in a relationship with someone else, and not wanting to be the bad guy for breaking them up. It’s good-intentioned wreckage wrapped in the classic Sombr style that makes it a hit. His live performance opened up with two minutes of rock-heavy instrumentals, giving it an edge that would beat up the studio version if they saw each other at a bar. The audience, already familiar with the song, head-banged and echoed the lyrics back to Sombr through screams, which solidified its status as an instant-hit.
Kaskade closed out the Sahara Tent on Sunday with his most ambitious production to date: Origins. His set blended brand new unreleased music with career-defining records, including his newest single “Freedom” to transcend the boundaries that define electronic music as he performed new collaborations with Crankdat and BUNT. While wind threatened many of the weekend’s performances and ultimately postponed Anyma’s set on April 10, Kaskade’s complex and captivating design delivered an experience that felt just as emotional as it was electrifying. This one will undoubtedly have a place on the soundtrack of the Summer.
Read More
Nightlife + Dining
Julianne Beffa
