Outside Lands 2022 boasts a lineup certain to titillate fans of any age and any inclination, encompassing everything from the 1990s pop-punk era’s signature acts (Green Day, Weezer) to the most buzzworthy names in contemporary hip hop, R&B, and EDM (SZA, Kali Uchis, Lil Uzi Vert, and Disclosure, to name just a few).
While OSL’s headliners always excite, the slate of lesser known artists populating this year’s roster is similarly impressive, touting many of the most promising up-and-coming independent artists of the modern era across a wide genre spectrum. While their names may not be granted the same massive font size as Jack Harlow or Phoebe Bridgers, their diminutive place on the lineup posters in no way reflects their trailblazing, genre-defying work. Since researching every inclusion on the lineup may be time-consuming, we’ve cobbled together a list of the best indie and lesser known artists bringing their innovative, forward-thinking sounds to OSL this weekend.
See also: Our Key Transportation Guide For Getting To Outside Lands 2022
WET LEG
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Sunday, 4pm / Sutro Stage
Wet Leg, a British alt-rock duo made up of Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers, took the world (and Tik Tok) by storm with their infectiously catchy and delightfully playful single “Chaise Longue”, which combines bitingly clever tongue-in-cheek lyricism with blazing guitar riffs. Their followup self-titled album released earlier this year carried on their success with the equally compelling earworm “Weet Dream”.
HIATUS KAIYOTE
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Friday, 4:10 pm/ Lands End Stage
A genre-bending Australia band expertly and elegantly blending elements of jazz, R&B, funk, and soul Hiatus Kaiyote is a must-see for fans of Anderson Paak, BADBADNOTGOOD, and Charlotte Day Wilson. Their first record Tawk Tomahawk - released in 2013 - spawned the single “Nakamarra”, electrifying fusion of jazz and boom bap hip hop featuring a formidable verse from the legendary rapper Q-Tip. Another must-listen track is the beautifully atmospheric downtempo track “Fingerprints”, which boasts breathtaking vocal work and an exhilarating crescendo-climax.
PUSSY RIOT
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Sunday, 4:10pm / Panhandle Stage
At once a performance art collective and experimental punk-metal-alt rock group, Pussy Riot channels the unashamed feminist fervor of Seattle’s riot grrrl movement and pairs it with penetrating theoretical acumen, lambasting the established order with formidably philosophical lyrics and coarse, distortion-heavy production. The group was catapulted into the international eye after their 2012 arrest for protesting Putin’s re-election. Pussy Riot has remained stalwartly unphased ever since, and plans to release a new album this year.
SPELLLING
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Friday, 12:05pm / Sutro Stage
Spellling wrote, produced, and recorded her first record in her apartment in Berkeley, which dropped in 2017. Her most recent project, The Turning Wheel, became one of the most critically acclaimed albums of 2021 (even earning the much sought-after 10/10 rating from Anthony Fantano himself), and remains broadly accessible while staunchly resisting any genre classification. The single “Little Deer”is a singularly stunning outing, at once reserved and effusive, dreamy and euphoric, mellow and exhilarating. Both Spellling’s vocal work and her backing instrumentation on the project are equally brilliant.
CORY HENRY
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Friday, 12:10pm / Lands End Stage
At the risk of sounding trite / platitudinous, Cory Henry is truly one of the future greats of jazz. Ever since his participation in the famed jazz supergroup Snarky Puppy, Henry has cemented himself as one of the best jazz keyboardists of our generation. The group’s live performance of “Lingus”, during which Henry embarks on a career-defining, thoroughly stunning solo, garnered over 31 million views on YouTube (in part because of his bandmates’ iconic reactions to the wildest bits of his solo).
MICHELLE
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Saturday, 12:50pm / Twin Peaks Stage
A young 6-piece collective out of New York, MICHELLE’s debut album HEAT WAVE expertly expanded upon the vibey bedroom pop sound of artistic peers like Clairo, Men I Trust, and Still Woozy by infusing the subgenre with their distinct brand of sunny melodies, blissfully dreamy production, and funky guitar and bass riffs. Must-listen summer bangers off of their first album include “THE BOTTOM” and “GET OFF UR PHONE”.
See also: 6 Underground Bay Area Indie Bands To Discover And Fall In Love With
Photography by: Wendy Wei/Pexels
