Chicago duo Whitney will release their fourth full-length album, Small Talk, on November 7th via AWAL. To mark the announcement, the band have shared the shimmering new single and video, “Dandelions.”
The new track, a mid-summer sparkler, showcases Julien Ehrlich‘s signature lamenting falsetto, enriched by a tapestry of horns, sweeping string arrangements, and the plaintive slide guitar of Max Kakacek. “Dandelions” follows the album’s first single, “Darling,” which was released earlier this summer, hinting at the band’s return.
In a statement, the band explained the emotional backdrop of the new single: “A couple years ago Max and I were both on the brink of moving across the country to be closer to the people we were dating at the time. Over the span of a few months both relationships somewhat abruptly crumbled, leaving us with equal parts confusion and sadness.” They channelled this experience into the narrative of “Dandelions,” which tells the story of “a big city hopeful who gets chewed up and spit back out into the heartland.”
Small Talk is being hailed as Whitney’s “unequivocally best and most affecting album.” Recorded in the summer of 2024, the 11-track album was self-produced, with Ehrlich and Kakacek inviting various friends to contribute. The result is a collection of songs that both capture their classic, heartfelt melodic style and explore new evolutionary paths in their sound.
The band is currently on the road, opening for folk trio Caamp, with notable stops at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles tonight and Berkeley on Saturday, July 19th. Following these dates, Whitney will embark on a headlining North American tour in the summer of 2025, with support from Folk Bitch Trio, kicking off this Sunday, July 20th, in Lake Tahoe, CA.
Formed in Chicago in 2015 by former Smith Westerns guitarist Max Kakacek and then-Unknown Mortal Orchestra drummer Julien Ehrlich, Whitney quickly rose to prominence with their acclaimed 2016 debut, Light Upon the Lake.
Pre-orders for Small Talk, including limited “Crimson Moon” and “Bone” vinyl editions, are now available on the band’s website: https://www.whitneytheband.com/
TOUR:
w/ Folk Bitch Trio*
Supporting Caamp#
07.16 – Greek Theatre – Los Angeles, CA#
07.18 – Santa Barbara Bowl – Santa Barbara, CA#
07.19 – Greek Theatre – Berkeley, CA#
07.20 – The Hangar – South Lake Tahoe, CA
07.22 – Ford Idaho Center Amp – Nampa, ID#
07.23 – The Elm – Bozeman, MT
07.24 – The Granary – Salt Lake City, UT#
07.25 – Washington’s FoCo – Fort Collins, CO
07.26 – Fiddlers Green Amp – Greenwood Village, CO#
07.31 – Higher Ground – Burlington, VT*
08.02 – Osheaga Festival – Montreal, QC*
08.04 – Tree House Brewing Company- Charlton, MA*
08.05 – Levitate Backyard Outdoor Concert Series – Marshfield, MA*
08.06 – Stone Church – Brattleboro, VT*
08.07 – Levon Helm Studios – Woodstock, NY*
08.08 – The Recher – Towson, MD*
08.10 – The Stone Pony – Asbury Park, NJ*
08.12 – Anthology – Rochester, NY*
08.13 – Hi-Fi Annex – Indianapolis, IN*
08.14 – Globe Iron – Cleveland, OH*
08.15 – Bell’s Eccentric Cafe – Kalamazoo, MI
