Whitney Rediscover Their Spark

Small Talk finds the duo letting go of expectations, trusting their instincts and rediscovering the simple pleasure of making music together.

“You gotta love what you do” is an expression driven into cliche through overuse by self help gurus and LinkedIn influencers alike, but it remains pertinent for songwriting. You can tell when a record is trying too hard to be something it is not, attempting a tad too much to push the envelope and offer something they think audiences and the oversaturated market might deem as ‘fresh’. Likewise, a record created with earnestness, and more importantly, fun, has a sense of inviting life no matter its style or substance.

For Whitney, finding their joy was a priority. Following the mixed reception to more experimental offering Sparks (at least in comparison to the critical acclaim of previous records), the duo decided to park all thoughts about critical reception and expectation of what Whiteny should become, instead choosing to go back to the basics of what Whintey was and is. The result is a record that eclipses even the heady heights of their debut, the perfect distillation of what continues to make the band so endearing.

We meet the day before Small Talk is released to the world, yet even at this preliminary stage you can sense the excitement and confidence emanating from the duo. They’ve rekindled what made them want to make music together in the first place, and it shows. “It was a lot more fun,” as guitarist Max Kakacek succinctly puts it. “After the last record being a tougher experience in terms of critical and commercial acclaim, it was a bit of a challenge. We just needed to have fun again, and this felt like making a record with good friends.”

Although clearly a testing time for the band, it speaks to their endurance that they are able to be invigorated by the experience.

“Regardless of how Sparks was received, I think our writing method and creative partnership was strengthened from that record”

says Max. The pay off from that experience has become more and more evident, a point that isn’t lost on drummer and vocalist Julien Ehrlich. “It definitely feels like, not the polar opposite to the last record, but the response has been incredibly warmer” he admits. “Those who have really spent time listening to it are into it.” 

Instead of shrinking into their shells, it appears the tribulations of Sparks inspired the duo to strip things back to basics and place full faith in their own abilities. Small Talk is the first time they have self produced a record, the majority of which was composed over three weeks in an Oregon barn stockpiled with various musical bits and bobs accumulated over the years. 

“One of the things a producer brings in is the seriousness of the studio, and sometimes that makes things feel a little less charming,” Julian says. “Honestly the pace in which we recorded the foundations was pretty much the same as if we had a producer. We were all working a bit with a producer's brain, all trying to keep more of a perspective and trying things we wouldn’t instinctively try on our own.”

“That was one of the benefits of self producing,” Max adds. “The charm of being somewhat naive in the recording process, it feels a little less perfected from an engineering standpoint.” 

For a band that is instinctively drawn to pouring over the minutia of a track for days on end (“90% of the time” Max admits with a chuckle), those three weeks gave Whitney the time and space to follow the missteps and stumbles of writing without losing their critical edge. 

“If you’ve heard the pitch and tempo at which we recorded ‘The Thread’, you’d be like were y’all on drugs? It’s so slow it's insane, we really turned the tape machine up on that one,” says Julian. “We are so meticulous with what BMPs we are recording songs at,” Max adds. “Sometimes we’ll pitch the entire mix up a tiny bit at the end of the process, we always want to make sure the groove is never compromised.”

With the foundations of the record laid down in Oregon, the finishing flourishes were finalised in the pair’s home of Chicago, where their cavalier approach speaks volumes as to the warmth they managed to capture. Small Talk manages to be both intimate and lush, as well as sounding as expansive and epic as Whitney ever has in the past. The strings and horns, which at times sound as if they were taken from a hundred piece orchestra in a grand European Church, are all the more impressive given their modest origins.

“The funniest part is it was literally recorded in our dining room off a busy street in Chicago,” explains Max. “We used this $200 Soviet Union microphone from a guy in Indiana who has an in for all these old Soviet era microphones, and it literally looks like a hand grenade and sounds like trash, and that's how we recorded all the strings, and they sound incredible! But how we did them was in the most crude way possible.”

Despite the majesty these sections bring to the record, Small Talk still manages to carry the warmth of a group of friends making music they love, for the love of it, something which is very evident from the manner in which they brought the album to life.

“For the gang vocals [on the album], we just had a party in our apartment and put two microphones down and had all our friends sing as our trumpet player, Will Miller, conducted everyone,” says Max.

“It was Fathers Day, so my dad was actually there because we had dinner before, and he can't sing, someone told him to stop on that recording! But there was something about recording in that space; it felt like the first record. Having friends who can play violin just sitting in our dining room and playing strings was a nice callback to that.”

It makes sense that the creation of Small Talk came to a close in Chicago. The comfort of home is something Whitney has always appreciated, and for Max in particular, Chicago continues to provide the perfect surroundings for their work. 

“I grew up in the city, and my family has been in that zone forever, like pre-Chicago Fire! 

But I’ve also kinda found a new side of the city. I’ve picked up soccer, I found areas I'd ignored in my adult life, having only focused on the music community. But that community is really supportive, it functions like a small town. We played two hometown shows recently and every musician you kinda know is there, all the promoters and venue owners too, it feels very homely and wonderful honestly.”

To aspiring musicians with boundless hopes and dreams, the bright lights and promise of LA or New York can be too tempting to resist. But after a decade as a band and even longer as musicians, Whitney knows such allures aren’t always the golden ticket they seem.

“[In Chicago] There is a certain energy that the industry is less accessible, so people work a certain type of way to prove themselves to get out of the city,” explains Max. “To play in New York from Chicago, the bands have to have a little bit more musicianship and are a little tighter, because it's not just outside their front door; they have to work to get there. When someone does have a moment of success from the city, everyone is just rooting for them. It’s not competitive in the way LA or New York can be at times.”

“There isn't necessarily a ladder to climb in Chicago," Julian adds. “People aren't meeting up to network. It really is just more blue collar, everyone gets their work done and puts out the best work they can, and not try to game the industry.”

As alluring as the comforts of home are for Whitney, being in a band means a great deal of time away on the road. Not that this isn’t something they relish, particularly with the energy of Small Talk backing them up. 

“We have a propensity to write slower and sadder songs,” admits Max.

“Writing faster songs is a little more challenging for us, but there are some straight up fast heaters on this album that we haven't done before. Having these in the set makes it easier to write a set list, it makes for a more energetic set.”

“This time, we’re letting it have its own identity as a live show. People are stretching out a little more, some of the solo sections are completely different. The chorus for ‘Evangeline’ (a standout track from the record with guest vocals from the fantastic Madison Cunningham) is a different take on the song, it's been fun to do and something we’ve never really done before.”

Julian is quick to add, “We might have to call a homie to play timpani, which is not something I would have expected even a few years ago!”

“They pocket so nicely with the older material, it reinforces the record to me,” adds Max. “It makes me feel like this is in our strongest wheelhouse, and we can set ourselves up for a good show for the next two years.”

It’s a confidence that is fully merited. Whitney knows they’ve hit a sweet spot after a few years of being uncertain of who they wanted to be. It seems they knew all along, and are now ready to show it to the world in all its sweet and melancholic glory. 

Small Talk is out now, with a UK and Ireland tour starting in February next year.

Photography By: Alexa Viscius