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Outside Lands is just around the corner, and the only thing on our minds is experiencing the sweet bliss that is returning to Golden Gate Park and enjoying some of the best live music around while sharing a drink with friends old and new at Wine Lands, Beer Lands, and beyond. This year's lineup is jam-packed with performances from heavy hitters like Kendrick Lamar, Lana Del Ray, ODEZA, 1975, and more, making it a weekend that will no doubt make it a challenge to divvy up your time between running from stage to stage. But don't panic. Here are ten acts you need to catch at Outside Lands 2023.

King Isis

When & Where: Friday, 12pm at Panhandle

Oakland-native King Isis is a sonic shapeshifter that fuses sounds ranging from rock and R&B to jazz and blues, sweeping through pain, growth, and transformation. Having first been taught on the piano of her great-great-grandmother Omega King, one of Chicago's first Black opera singers, King Isis fearlessly explores and pushes the boundaries of alternative music. Most recently, the LA-based artist has received a lot of attention and praise for her latest EP, scales. The six-track body of work is a vulnerable and deeply captivating effort that keeps listeners rushing for the replay button as soon as it's over.

Zack Fox

When & Where: 2:50pm at Sutro

Atlanta-raised comedy firebrand Zack Fox is at the intersection of visual art, rap music, and internet culture. Having first made a name for himself in his hometown's underground, rap-centric art scene, Fox's biting, hilarious commentary and visual art style flourished as an early member of the Awful Records label/collective. Later, he would meet and team up with producer Kenny Beats, who helped establish him as a burgeoning rapper with farcical bangers like "Square Up" and 2019's viral hit "Jesus is the One (I Got Depression)." His online presence has sparked numerous absurdist riffs and controversies, resulting in him being de-platformed on multiple occasions. Outside of music, Fox has written for the Eric Andre Show, acted in Flying Lotus's 2017 horror-comedy film Kuso, and even had a recurring role on the Emmy-award-winning comedy Abbott Elementary. So far this year, Fox has been busy honing his craft, releasing his latest single, "Trifflin'," and bringing his infectious energy to stages worldwide.

Jessie Murph

When & Where: Saturday, 3:55pm at Twin Peaks

It's been a busy year for 18-year-old alternative pop artist Jessie Murph. After releasing a series of heartfelt singles, her debut mixtape, drowning, marked the official beginning of her promising career, showcasing a voice and knack for songwriting well beyond her years. Carried by moody, minimalistic beats, acoustic guitar, powerfully vulnerable lyrics, and an iconic, soulful, gritty rasp, drowning comprises eleven tracks that will pull at your heartstrings and make you feel all the feels. Recently, she's been bringing teaming up with artists like Maren Morris and Diplo, bringing her signature vocals and artistry to a whole new level.

Lovejoy

When & Where: Saturday, 2:25pm at Lands End

Self-proclaimed zero-hit wonders Lovejoy are ready to bring their invigorating brand of UK indie rock to the Outisde Lands festival ground. In celebration of their latest record release, Wake Up & It's Over, the four-piece band has been adventuring on tour, rocking out on stages across Europe, the US, and the UK. Their most recent EP is a catastrophically sincere and chronically optimistic collection of songs that analyze themes like unrequited love, greed, and the human experience in the digital age. Equal parts charmingly absurd and intoxicatingly poignant, Lovejoy is a band you don't want to miss this weekend.

Samia

When & Where: Friday, 6pm at Panhandle

Indie darling Samia will bring her bittersweet sonics and soothing, folk-infused vocal stylings to beautiful Golden Gate Park, delivering the rich, raw, and mild-mannered rage found on her sophomore album Honey. The rising singer-songwriter, whose sound runs in similar lanes to indie heavy hitters like Pheobe Bridgers and Mitski, places honesty at the forefront of her music, making anyone experiencing emotionally isolating ventures like heartbreak and growing up feel less lonely with the cards life has dealt them. The summer of Samia will continue after Outside Lands as she continues to tour across the US, opening for artists like boygenius and Noah Kahan in the fall.

midwxst

When & Where: Saturday, 1pm at Twin Peaks

Here on this site, we still can't recommend enough checking out the tour de force that is Indiana artist midwxst. His music is a fierce blend of rap, rock, and whatever else he needs to get the message in his heart across. After developing his chameleonic style during the pandemic-era hyperpop scene, he exploded with songs like the grungy "Trying," emphasizing sincerity and transparency and earning the hearts of fans worldwide. He's been spending his 2023 releasing singles and collaborating with other innovative artists like Denzel Curry, San Holo, and Matt Ox and plans on bringing his angsty, hi-octane performance style to the festival circuit, inspiring us all to mosh to our heart's content.

Venus & The Flytraps

When & Where: Sunday, 1:15pm at Panhandle

Nashville-based Venus & The Flytraps, comprised of buds Brenna Kasis and Ceci Tomè, are bringing their refreshingly honest brand of alt-rock music to Outside Lands this year. The duo met during their freshman year of college in a songwriting class, and shortly after, Venus was born. Together the two bring feminine angst into catharsis, merging introspective lyricism with grungy upbeat rock melodies. Their latest EP, Venus In Love, is an impressive body of work with anthemic tracks like "Worse Together," an ode to toxic relationships, and "Unrequitable," a sonic tale of unrequited love, arriving as clear standout. Their music is perfect for yelling at the top of your lungs amongst thousands of other festivalgoers with their large gang vocal chants, tight drums, and dynamic tempo changes propelling you forward.

Grace Ives

When & Where: Sunday, 4:10pm at Panhandle

If you decide to chuck out this whole list of recommendations, please do us a favor and at least go see bloghouse revivalist and singer-songwriter Grace Ives. Her latest album Janky Star is peak indie electro-pop, with the songwriter broadening her sound without sacrificing conciseness, fitting more splendid ideas into the same tight frame. This rabbit hole of a record is brimming with dynamic sonic textures that will no doubt slay in a live setting, promising to scratch every brain itch, wrapping you in the afterglow of breezy and sweet, synth-dominated pop.

aespa

When & Where: Friday, 6pm at Twin Peaks

This could be a controversial take, K-pop fans, please don't come for me, but aespa is THE girl group of the summer. The group, consisting of four real members, KARINA, WINTER, GISELLE, and NINGNING, and avatar members of each, debuted in November 2020 with their single "Black Mamba" and has since been catapulted into growing worldwide success, with the single entering the Billboard Global Chart (excluding the US) at No. 100 within just three days, marking the highest ranking of any K-pop artist's debut song and charting across music charts in 95 countries, proving their explosive popularity immediately upon debut. In 2023 they put out their latest mini album, MY WORLD, announced their first-ever global tour, and made history at this year's Gov Ball as the first K-pop act to ever perform at the iconic East Coast festival.

Nation of Language

When & Where: Friday 1:15pm at Sutro

It's been a journey for New York's indie band Nation of Language. During the height of the lost year that was 2020, the synth-pop trio put out their debut album, Introduction, Presence, and although it was a strange time for a debut LP, they gained a loyal cult of fans and kept their heads down, working in silence. As the world began to open back up in 2021, so did the band with the spectacular A Way Forward, which found the trio upgrading their infectious new wave songs to new heights, establishing a larger core audience along the way. The sophomore LP also landed them several major festival slots and their biggest tour to date, giving them a valuable opportunity to hone their live chops. Now, during their extensive run of US tour dates and ahead of the release forthcoming third album, Strange Disciple, out September, the band will bring their nostalgic brand of synth pop to the Outside Lands stage, inspiring us all to continue dancing the weekend away.