This post was written by Hatchet Staff Writer Callan Tansill-Suddath.

This past weekend marked the beginning of one of the most iconic music festivals, Coachella. The four-day event in Indio, California spans two weekends and is known for attracting a mix of facepaint-wearing teenagers and A-list celebrities. If you can’t jam at Coachella yourself, listen to these tracks by artists who have performed or are set to perform at the festival. Hopefully they’ll bring a little bit of California sunshine to those of us stuck on the East Coast.

“No Love Like Yours”
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros

This track on the group’s recently released third album gives listeners a taste of the charm that initially made them fall in love with the group. Lead vocalist Alex Ebert’s high-pitched, quivery voice conveys a sense of comforting vulnerability. Paired with simple piano, acoustic guitar, bass, drums and a chorus of harmonizing voices in the background, the track is sure to ease any fan who was worried about the state of the band after the departure of co-vocalist, Jade Castrinos.

“Take Us Back”
Mavis Staples

Mavis Staples has been making earth-shattering soul and Americana music for nearly fifty years, and her newest album, “Livin’ On A High Note,” does not disappoint. Though the vocalist may not fit the classic Coachella mold, audiences are sure to be entranced by her poetic lyrics (Chicago wasn’t always easy / But love made the windy city breezy) and sheer power as a singer. “Take Us Back,” the first song from the artist’s fourteenth album, is jazzy and fun. It gives the singer a space to express being an artist who has spanned multiple generations and fulfillment with where she is in life now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXR65pJvQf8

“Breaker”
Deerhunter

“Breaker” screams summer. It’s the kind of song you want to listen to while you lay on a beach blanket at dusk and watch the tide roll out. The mellow vocals and tongue-in-cheek lyrics complement the catchy, psychedelic guitar, simple bassline and brush-played drums. The song picks up when the chorus begins and returns to its initial slow-paced tune as the chorus ends. The track ends with brief sounds of a synthesizer similar to what you would hear while playing an 8-bit video game from the 1980s. Though Deerhunter has managed to stay under the radar since their debut in 2001, “Breaker” may be what brings them to the forefront of the indie-rock music scene.

“Afterglow”
Chvrches

Chvrches made a name for themselves with music perfect for dancing. The Glasgow-based electro-pop trio has risen to prominence since their debut album came out in 2013, and has performed at festivals like Sweetlife and Bonnaroo. Up until now, the group had released almost exclusively upbeat, synthy, poppy electronic tracks, but this vibe changed with “Afterglow” – the final track on the group’s sophomore album, “Every Open Eye.” The track is slow, with fairly isolated vocals by frontwoman Lauren Mayberry, and smooth synthesizers that gradually increase in volume as the song progresses. It begins with an optimistic tone that transitions to a more reflective and somber one at the culmination of the song – the line “I’ve given up all I can” is repeated four times before the track comes to a close. This song is unlike anything that the group has released in recent years and is perhaps best described as sounding like a sunset – if a sunset made a sound.