This morning, organizers of the three day Pitchfork Music Festival announced the lineup for the event, scheduled for July 21-23 at Chicago’s Union Park. 

Perhaps the most notable programmatic shift is that the Sunday programming, which historically leaned more heavily into Urban Alternative performers (such as Toro y Moi, Noname, Erykah Badu and Flying Lotus) is headlined this year by Bon Iver. There also aren’t any of the throwback acts that were earmarks of the fest in years past, a’la George Clinton in 2017 or Brian Wilson (of the Beach Boys) performing in 2016 … That is unless you count The Smile, which is made up of Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead with drummer Tom Skinner, or perhaps Panda Bear + Sonic Boom (members of aughts indie darling band Animal Collective and 80s alt-rock band Spacemen 3, respectively).

The lineup has solid representation of femme-identified-led acts (highlights include Kelela, Koffee, Grace Ives and local favorite Ariel Zetina [who Vocalo profiled in 2021], and a smattering of local acts but overall, there are a number of acts that we are particularly interested in checking out at the festival.

Friday

With respect to local acts, perennial favorite Ric Wilson is poised to hit the stage on Friday, fresh off the announcement of a brand new project with Chromeo and A-Trak called CLUSTERFUNK, set for release on March 31. Locally-based multi-instrumentalist (and Sooper Records co-owner) Sen Morimoto, also scheduled for Friday, is squarely on our list of must-sees, as well. More adventurous fans of electronic music should also check out Jlin, the Gary, Indiana raised artist/producer known for monastic and often-footwork-infused work.

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Rounding out our recommendations for Friday are indie synth-pop artist Grace Ives, whose “Icing on the Cake” is giving “White Horse”-by-Laid-Back 80’s club kid vibes in the best way, and Roc Marciano & The Alchemist, iconic producers from the East and West Coast scenes, respectively, are also scheduled to perform. The duo successfully brought together the cream of both coasts with 2022’s The Elephant Man’s Bones: for starters, Alchemist has produced for the likes of Cypress Hill, Dilated Peoples and Snoop Dogg, while Roc (who is also a celebrated rapper) has worked with artists like Wu-Tang Clan, Pete Rock and Busta Rhymes.

Saturday

Depending on what you want out of your Saturday experience, there are a couple of interesting lanes. Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul give us edgy new wave disco with a sense of humor and a touch of soul while Yaya Bey is a wonder of lo-fi soul, jazz and a judicious slice of reggae. Meanwhile, if your spirit album is Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys, you likely need to see Panda Bear + Sonic Boom, with a Black Belt Eagle Scout chaser. The Cameroonian singer-songwriter Vagabon might appeal to both sensibilities. Even if you aren’t familiar, you may have caught the inclusion of her track “Water Me Down” on Episode 4 of Swarm (which dropped on Amazon Prime on Friday March 17). Her smoky, mournful voice will help fans take the edge off the week.

Sunday

If you are a true dyed-in-the-wool hardcore Afropunk kid, then you probably really are going to be jazzed to see Soul Glo, named after the classic Coming To America bit. Jamaican pop singer Koffee is a Vocalo favorite (her track “West Indies” was one of our most played tracks of 2022), and in light of the sold-out Kelela show that Vocalo presented here on March 18, the indie alt-r&b songstress is a must see. Mdou Moctar‘s psychedelic Tuareg desert blues is set like a perfect stone on Sunday, and local artist Ariel Zetina is a hypnotic acid-house flavored Sunday situation we also recommend. If indie hip hop is your preferred Sunday vibe, the festival has you covered as well, with Killer Mike and JPEGMafia each scheduled to hit the stage.