Whitney Announce New Album Small Talk: Hear “Dandelions”

The music of the soulful, soft-rockin’ Chicago indie band Whitney makes me think of gorgeous summer days in their hometown. This may only be true of my own experience with the group, but their songs conjure nostalgia for the many weekends I’ve spent attending the dearly departed Pitchfork Music Festival, such a fixture of my summers that I’m still mourning its absence this year. I got that kind of wistful buzz from Whitney long before P4K Fest was kaput, and I’m getting it even stronger nowawdays. So I’m happy to report that Whitney are back today with news of a new LP.

In May, Whitney released “Darling,” which has turned out to be the lead single and closing track from their forthcoming Small Talk. The follow-up to 2022’s SPARK will be out in November, and Whitney have released another preview track today. Of the sighing “Dandelion,” Whitney’s Julian Ehrlich explains:

A couple years ago Max [Kakacek] 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, mourning the futures that would have accompanied those relationships as well as the relationships themselves. Inspired by those events (and on a whim of Midwestern pride) we wound up spinning the story of “Dandelions” into one of a big city hopeful who gets chewed up and spit back out into the heartland.

Watch the “Dandelions” video, directed by Alexa and Jessica Viscius, below.

TRACKLIST:
01 “Silent Exchange”
02 “Won’t You Speak Your Mind”
03 “The Thread”
04 “Damage”
05 “Dandelions”
06 “Islands (Really Something)”
07 “In The Saddle”
08 “Evangeline” (Feat. Madison Cunningham)
09 “Back To The Wind”
10 “Small Talk”
11 “Darling”

Small Talk is out 11/17 via AWAL. Pre-order it here.