Lollapalooza 2023 I Energize With These Five Unmissable Tracks From Saturday’s Lineup

As Lollapalooza 2023 reaches its third day, festival-goers might find their vocal cords aching and limbs hurting from the non-stop excitement. However, the infectious musical spirit continues to permeate the festival grounds, offering an adrenaline boost to power through the weekend. To help you make the most of the remaining two full days of music, activities, glitter, and pashminas, we’ve curated a list of five fantastic songs from Saturday’s lineup:

ODESZA – “Hopeful”

The penultimate day of Lollapalooza introduces one of the most iconic and talented dance music duos today. Comprised of Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight, ODESZA invents a universe central to the music festival scene in the song “Hopeful.” Distant synthesizers swim into the forefront of the landscape, opening the listener up to a harmonious vocalization, stirring up a sense of trust and hope in the act. At about the minute and a half mark, the crescendoing synth percussion bubbles over into a sweet beat drop with a clear-cut bass drum marking each bar. “Hopeful” marks the end of a negative time and the beautiful open slate of a new start.

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Maggie Rogers – “That’s Where I Am”

Optimism translates to festival-goers through this Maggie Roger’s single, “That’s Where I Am.” Few singers have the vocal grace that Maggie Rogers graces a mic with. The indie pop star relays authentic anecdotes about the human experience through intrinsic vocals. Inspired by a rom-com and written during heightened political tensions in the US, her song “That’s Where I Am” is a hopeful tale of an on and off again relationship with an unbreakable bond. “Wherever you go, that’s where I am. Even boulders turn to sand.” With confident hums and dynamic tones, Rogers recalls the past turbulences of this time with a partner, but despite all the hardship, she never lost faith in the promise of true love.

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Pardyalone – “Not a Home“

Many singers and songwriters focus on a few universal topics for a wealth of their discography: love, heartbreak, and loss. The key is to vocally transmit how those three conditions affect the human experience. Pardyalone effortlessly fuses all three, asserting a novel sound to a story most can relate to. “Not a Home” reminisces about a toxic relationship falling through the cracks. With lamenting fingerpicking rhythm on a guitar and Pardyalone’s raw vocals, the listener transports to a tender, low point for the singer. “I’m running in circles. I don’t wanna feel this way. My head’s under water (drowning),” he sings. Though the lyrics unearth a particular kind of pain and grit, grief is ubiquitous. While listeners might not relate to the exact situation Pardyalone croons about, the song exemplifies the central point of music: to understand and empathize.

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Alex G – “Advice”

An Alex G set is an unmissable auditory adventure. Lo-fi artists maintain a pacifying sound perfect for studying, working, staring at the ceiling at 4 am, or vibing at the biggest festival in Chicago. Lo-fi stands for low fidelity, a genre of music where imperfections and rough drafts make the cut. Pennsylvania-based artist Alex G offers listeners a swatch of dreamy lyrics embedded in stripped-back production. His song “Advice” flutters through lyrics open to the listener’s interpretation. “Don’t get hung on petty things. String the sinner by his wings,” Alex could be speaking to himself through his lyrical ponderings, assuring himself everything will be alright, or he may be offering advice to the listener, convincing them that faulted people populate the world but deserve forgiveness despite their mistakes, or the listener may discover a more personal meaning within this two and a half minute ode.

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NIKI – “High School in Jakarta”

NIKI unveils her encounters attending high school in Jakarta. But NIKI doesn’t resort to traditional, overused songwriting techniques. Instead, she breathes distinct personality into her lyrics, forming a riveting sing-song story. Her honest, unabashed lyrics dive into her idiosyncratic encounters at the Indonesian high school. In “High School in Jakarta,” NIKI teleports listeners with hyper-specific lyrics like “Had no chance against the Marxist girl with marijuana” and “had no chance against the teenage suburban armadas, we were a sonata thanks to the teenage suburban armadas” backed by a catchy synth loop.

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