Instead of dipping their toe in the water, Whitney dive straight into their new era on “REAL LOVE.” The single is the first release from their forthcoming record, SPARK, out Sept. 16 via Secretly Canadian.
The Chicago duo composed of Julien Ehrlich and Max Kakacek now take a sharp pivot away from the folky acoustics of their past releases and venture into glossy synth-wave. The band found themselves stuck in Portland at the onset of the pandemic after Ehrlich went to clear his head following a years-long breakup, and Kakacek followed to escape the harsh Chicago winter. While there, they agreed to make some drastic shifts to their sound, the result being the luminous lead single “REAL LOVE.” The track features incandescent synthesizers and some of the subtle softness of their early days that shines through in Ehrlich’s vocals. Just as Whitney had to say goodbye to their old sound to find one that feels authentic, the song is about a long-overdue breakup that ultimately leads you to the right love down the line.
“Max and I wrote ‘REAL LOVE’ in June 2021 right after a cross country move back to Chicago. I was experiencing heightened levels of anxiety and panic, while the entire city was re-emerging from isolation. I’ve been running away from and self medicating my anxiety for as long as I can remember, but for whatever reason, it felt like it was time to dive straight into it,” Ehrlich said in a statement. “During late night sessions over a two week period, we captured the embrace of anxiety and fear in a way that resonated with us immediately. We spent the next few summer nights driving on Ashland with the windows down and the song turned up. It felt like an emotional and musical burst of light and we’re so grateful to finally be sharing that with people.”
Whitney also announced an extensive tour through North America and the E.U./U.K. Tickets for their North American shows go on sale Friday, June 17, at 9 a.m. local time, and E.U./U.K. tickets will be on sale later this month.
Check out “REAL LOVE” below, along with the details of SPARK and Whitney’s complete list of tour dates.
SPARK Tracklist:
01. NOTHING REMAINS
02. BACK THEN
03. BLUE
04. TWIRL
05. REAL LOVE
06. MEMORY
07. SELF
08. NEVER CROSSED MY MIND
09. TERMINAL
10. HEART WILL BEAT
11. LOST CONTROL
12. COUNTY LINES
SPARK Art:
Whitney Tour Dates:
September
29 – Davenport, IA @ Raccoon Motel
30 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Ave
October
01 – Milwaukee, WI @ Pabst Theater
03 – Fort Collins, CO @ The Aggie
04 – Denver, CO @ Gothic Theatre
05 – Albuquerque, NM @ Sunshine Theater
07 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Jones Assembly
08 – Columbia, MO @ Blue Note
09 – St Louis, MO @ Delmar Hall
11 – Oxford, MS @ The Lyric
12 – Birmingham, AL @ Saturn
14 – Miami, FL @ Miami Beach Bandshell
15 – Tampa, FL @ The Orpheum
17 – Orlando, FL @ House of Blues
19 – Jacksonville, FL @ Intuition Ale Works
20 – Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
22 – Athens, GA @ Georgia Theatre
23 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel
24 – Charleston, SC @ Music Farm
25 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
26 – Charlottesville, VA @ Jefferson Theater
28 – Nashville, TN @ Eastside Bowl
30 – Indianapolis, IN @ The Vogue
November
06 – Paris, FR @ Trabendo
08 – Antwerp, BE @ De Roma
09 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
10 – Cologne, DE @ Bürgerhaus Stollwerck
11 – Munich, DE @ Freiheizhalle
12 – Zurich, CH @ Mascotte
13 – Berlin, DE @ Columbia Theater
15 – Hamburg, DE @ Mojo Club
16 – Copenhagen, DK @ VEGA
17 – Oslo, NO @ Rockefeller
18 – Stockholm, SE @ Nalen
19 – Gothenburg, SE @ Pustervik
20 – Aarhus, DK @ Voxhall
22 – Bristol, UK @SWX
23 – London, UK @ O2 Academy Brixton
24 – Manchester, UK @ Albert Hall
25 – Glasgow, UK @ QMU
27 – Dublin, IE @ The Academy
December
08 – Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
09 – Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore Silver Spring
10 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
11 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall
14 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Spirit
15 – Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Theatre
16 – Detroit, MI @ The Crofoot
21 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
22 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
23 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
