Grit, gaze, and glitter: glixen's coachella era
By Crystal Harrell
Coachella is known for breaking new artists and offering unforgettable sets—and this year, Glixen made sure to leave their mark. Fresh off their second weekend performance, the Arizona-based alt rock band sat down for an interview with Coachella Valley Weekly, brimming
with excitement and gratitude. From playing two weekends at one of the world’s biggest music festivals to crafting a darker, more mature sound on their new EP, Quiet Pleasures, Glixen is in the middle of a serious come-up.
Lead vocalist Aislinn Ritchie began the project in 2020, enlisting
guitarist Esteban Santana, drummer Keire Johnson, and bassist Sonia Garcia. Their approach to music has landed them on expansive tours and shows with rock music titans and contemporaries alike, supporting acts like Interpol, DIIV, Narrow Head and Nothing. Glixen has released a steady stream of music since their inception, with one EP and a handful of singles under their belt.
Coachella Weekend 1 also hit the band like a tidal wave. “It was a shell shock,” said Keire. “Seeing all the production from the bigger artists, all the people and the ‘fits—it was just beautiful.”
Esteban called it “crazy” and like nothing he’d ever experienced. Aislinn summed it up simply: “It’s been amazing. A dream come true.”
By Weekend 2, the band was more comfortable and ready to soak in every moment. “We know where to go now,” Kier laughed. “That first weekend was wild, but this time it felt more like home.”
Their latest EP, Quiet Pleasures, marks a sonic shift. The band was intentional about taking their sound in a new direction—darker, moodier, but still intimate. “We wanted it to feel like a contrast,” said Aislinn. “My vocals stayed light and breathy, but the instrumentals got heavier. It needed to sound a little scarier.”
Esteban added, “We pre-wrote and demoed for a couple months before recording for a week straight at Pale Moon Studios in Juniper Hills with Alex Estrada and Sonny DiPerri. It was just music, sleep, repeat.”
The immersive process helped solidify the EP’s identity. The band credits Estrada and Sonny for helping bring their vision to life while keeping the sessions loose and inspired.
When asked to label their music, Kier didn’t hesitate. “Matured emo,” he said. “It gives you that Midwest emo feeling, but you don’t feel embarrassed playing it around your mom. It’s emotional but polished.
Atmospheric, too.”
Their influences span from shoegaze and grunge to metal and Y2K-era pop. “I love the fusion of 90s alternative and metal,” shared Aislinn. “Think Smashing Pumpkins, My Bloody Valentine—but also Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears.”
The blending of genres, aesthetics, and eras makes Glixen feel both nostalgic and forward-thinking—a rare combination in today’s scene.
Opening for alt rock veterans Jimmy Eat World was a milestone on April 10 at the Fox Theater in Pomona.“It was magical,” said Aislinn. “Seeing how much their fans still connect with them—it shows what it means to make timeless music.”
The band was struck by the diverse audience, from kids to older fans, all singing along to Jimmy Eat World. “They’ve lasted decades and stayed huge,” said Kier. “That’s the goal.”
Glixen has been together as a band for five years, with Aislinn and
Esteban writing together for six. And they’re just getting started.
“We want to tour the world,” said Esteban. “Japan is at the top of the list.” Glixen is already planning more European dates and hope to release full-length albums in the near future.
“I just want to be completely consumed by music—writing, recording, touring, making videos,” Aislinn added. “That’s the dream.”
Each member has a favorite song to play live. Esteban is all in on “Shut Me Down.” “I want to see people lose their minds to that one,” he said. “Stage dive if you want. Go wild.”
Kier and Aislinn both shouted out “Lick the Star” for its raw performance energy. “It’s the first song where I don’t play guitar,” said Aislinn. “Just holding the mic and performing is everything.” Kier added, “There’s this moment where the crowd thinks the song is over, and then we all crash back in. Their faces are priceless.”
The band didn’t just perform—they made time to catch
other sets. Lady Gaga left the biggest impression on Esteban and Aislinn. “Neither of us had seen a pop production at that scale,” Aislinn said. “You want to dance, but you’re just hypnotized.”
Charli XCX was another standout. “It was cool seeing her take the stage with just her and her friends,” said Esteban. “She didn’t need the massive production. The energy was enough.”
Sonia was blown away by The Marías and Beth Gibbons, calling their sets “inspiring” and “incredible.” Kier added that the Sonora stage—the same one Glixen played—made the experience even more special.
As they look ahead, Glixen is focused. They’re building something lasting—one EP, one performance, one tour at a time. “In five years, I just want to be doing this full time,” said Aislinn. “Touring, making music, performing. That’s all I want.”
And judging by their Coachella set, their ambition isn’t just a dream—it’s inevitable.
ARTIST TO WATCH: GLIXEN
By Wasteland
Phoenix, AZ natives Glixen played at Coachella for the first time this year. They stopped by Wasteland on Melrose for the perfect performance and day-to-day outfits. We talked inspo for each look and their musical influences that shape them.
“While shopping for coachella outfits. I looked for pieces that reminded me of my favorite designers or a specific era. I love finding a standout piece and building a whole look around it. So I was very excited to score two amazing skirts from Fanci Club and Acne Studios at Wasteland.” said Aislinn
“I knew that I’d be playing in shorts so I wanted some sick ones. I got some FA shorts for the first weekend and then some gothic/flowy Found shorts for the second weekend.” said Keire
“My vision for Coachella was something elevated, grungy, and true to me.” said Sonia.
“Huge fan of alt rock/grunge fashion during the 90s. Definitely ear-
ly 2000s bands as well like my vitriol, they dressed so cool and felt larger than life.” said Esteban.
Pinkpantheress fancy that
The British singer-producer’s new mixtape is a portal into an alternate universe where UK garage blew up in America and fashion froze in 2006.
Review by Harry Tafoya
At the beginning of PinkPantheress’ new mixtape, Fancy That, the 24-year-old singer and producer has just been hit by the full force of an absurdly potent strain of weed and is starting to feel the world tilt off its axis. “Illegal” swerves straight into peak time, growing more massive and colorful as it crashes through the speakers. If the record’s first seconds are slightly disorienting, it hardly seems to register for the singer—she has to be the most poised stoned person on the planet. Pink’s voice is the cool center of the music’s raging party, beckoning us to follow as she sashays down the rabbit hole. “My name is Pink and I’m really glad to meet you,” she deadpans by way of introduction, “You’re recommended to me by some people.” From here on out she has zero intention of slowing
things up.
“Illegal” begins like many of PinkPantheress’ best songs to date: musically busy, charmingly conversational, and locked into a hazy headspace conjured by vintage samples and the once and future sound of drum’n’bass. By now the producer has made a specialty out of using thundering breaks and sparkling melodies to jolt her train of thought and chart a comet’s trail out of her feelings. But unlike her past releases, Fancy That offers no daydreaming detours or moments of zoomed-out introspection. The face she puts on is easy, forthright, and effortlessly cool—she’s arrived at a point of clarity and she’s never been more ready to dance.
Initially, it might have been tempting to assume that, because her songs were so short and went viral on
TikTok so easily, her work was too low-stakes and thinly sketched for sustained success. But though “PinkPantheress” began as an anonymous handle, it’s since become an undeniable signature. Her 2023 debut, Heaven Knows, polished the scrappiness of her early work into tracks that consistently managed to clear the two- and even three-minute mark. While that record yielded some undeniable gems (see the Joanna Newsom-at-the-rave lament “Ophelia” or the moony 2-step of “Mosquito”), her bite-sized approach couldn’t always hold its own at full length. Although it won’t shut down jokes about her track times, the 20-minute Fancy That is PinkPantheress’ most exciting and fully realized release yet.
Fancy That is a portal into an alternate universe where UK garage successfully crossed the Atlantic and
fashion froze in 2006. But apart from the more superficial choices (the cover’s Lily Allen–inspired graphic collage, the decision to shoot the music video for “Stateside” in a JCPenney parking lot), Pink’s world-building plays out most vividly in her music. After largely forgoing samples on Heaven Knows, Fancy That is an encyclopedia of references that far exceeds stale Y2K cosplay. Subtle clues like the Panic! at the Disco strings that segue into “Tonight” or the hilarious, stoned call-and-response with a Nardo Wick sample on “Noises” are juxtaposed against some thrilling acts of appropriation. “Illegal” blazes into the mix by isolating and supercharging the synths from Underworld’s “Dark & Long (Dark Train Mix),” while “Girl Like Me” takes a Basement Jaxx sample and spins it out into a roaring speed garage banger. British dance music has caught a second life across Gen Z pop; PinkPantheress’ tour through the hardcore continuum is lived-in and substantial, bringing
the legacies of producers like Sunship, Adam F, and MJ Cole into the present while strutting her own glittering new path.
Apart from garage and jungle, PinkPantheress is deeply inspired by emo, an influence heard most clearly in the bleeding-edge intensity of her songwriting. Vulnerable motifs repeat throughout her early music, like the humiliation of being caught emoting in public (“Pain,” “Just for me”), or death as a marker for a relationship’s furthest limits (“Nice to Meet You,” “Ophelia,” “Mosquito”). Though she colored in these feelings with a degree of subtlety, the metaphorical extremes exposed the youthfulness of her perspective. What’s wonderful about Fancy That is how bold and funny it is: This Pink won’t buckle under pressure or spiral when left alone. She takes romantic and everyday disappointment in glorious stride. “Stars” pulls double duty: offering a sympathetic ear to a friend who’s unlucky in love, while soundtracking
her own frustration with an unreliable plug. The romantic-sounding “Romeo” is a thoroughly modern kiss-off that delivers the fatal blow with a couplet as withering as it is inclusive: “You can fall in love with boys and girls and in between/So I promise that you shouldn’t waste your time on all of me.”
Pink is equally forthright about sex and desire. It’s thrilling to hear her put Abercrombie & Fitch hotties through their paces on “Stateside,” paying her respects to Estelle and putting a sexy spin on the “special relationship” all in one go. But “Tonight” is even more impressive: a song-length come-on where the fast-paced thump mirrors a dawning sense of romantic urgency. Even if she plays the directness of a hook like “You want sex with me?/Come talk to me” for giggles, there’s an overriding sweetness that kicks the song into a higher level of feeling. She occupies the space between the bouncing, full-bodied bassline and plaintive keyboards with a plainly stated want that would be unthinkable on her introverted early releases. Having come so fully into her own, PinkPantheress still aspires to reach out to you.
VINTAGE
CLOTHING AND MORE