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Sunday Recap: Pitchfork Music Festival 2023

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.

Emily Sprague of Florist

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.

Georgia Ellery of Jockstrap

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.

Illuminati Hotties

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.

Mdou Moctar performing

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.

Pitchfork Festival 2023: 7 Acts to Get There Early For

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

Photo by Sammy Sutter

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

Photo by Alexa Viscius

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

Photo by Tim 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

Photo by Nate Lemuel

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

Photo by Eddie Whelan

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.

Photo by Charlie Boss

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

Photo by Carl Solether

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.