After a long and at times overstimulating day at Coachella Weekend 2, Miike Snow’s Friday’s Mojave tent set felt like a warm hug.
The pop band’s songs (and yes, this is a band despite what the name suggests) feel to me like the kind of cheery, vibey music you would play to comfort a finicky infant.
On Friday, those qualities were on full and welcome display as all of us in what felt like the surprisingly slight crowd were the infants and Miike Snow was the Coachella mother we all suddenly needed.
Miike Snow performs at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, Calif., on Friday, April 11, 2025.
As the band powered through a set of their hits that also included a new song from their forthcoming album, the vibe both on stage and in the crowd rarely rose above the gentle easygoing chill that seems to define the Miike Snow experience.
But that’s not to say that the band was missing the mark, more so that they were perfectly embodying their own sound and ethos. Vocalist Andrew Wyatt’s distinct high-pitched vocals sounded great, as did the backing instrumentals in a set that felt almost remarkable for how well it recreated the band’s recorded sound.
The visuals also felt just right; cool and just the right amount of trippy without being overstimulating. I admittedly didn’t appreciate the rat-like depiction of the band’s rabbit-with-deer-antlers mascot in one video, but I did love the use of visuals of Palm Springs’ iconic windmills and the festival’s own grounds in another.
Wyatt was also appealingly affable in his onstage comments. He got laughs when he put a humorous spin on the cliché of artists saying the Weekend 2 crowd is better than Weekend 1’s when he explained Weekend 1 is when people from Frito Lay come here before clarifying that he had nothing against them.
The band also seemed to find the perfect special guest to compliment their vibe. Saxophonist Tom Scott came out for a couple of songs. He didn’t seem to be playing a sax but rather another instrument I’m not familiar with — Editor’s note: We think it might have been an aerophone — but that produced sounds that I’d definitely describe as soothing.
Even when things got a little livelier for the band’s catchy closing number “Animal,” an easygoing vibe still pervaded.
And as I exited the Mojave Tent and was confronted with the barrage of lasers and loud beats emanating from Missy Elliott’s show on the Coachella Stage on the other side of the polo grounds, I found myself half wishing I could stay in Mike Snow’s soft embrace a little longer.
Paul Albani-Burgio covers growth, development, business and occasionally music festivals in the Coachella Valley. Follow him on Twitter at @albaniburgiop and email him at paul.albani-burgio@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Coachella 2025 review: Miike Snow brings out saxophonist Tom Scott