Whitney releases “BLUE” and “TWIRL” off of new album ‘SPARK’ out September 16th

Pre-order SPARK

Whitney, the Chicago duo of Julien Ehlrich and Max Kakacek, release two new singles/videos, “TWIRL” and “BLUE,” from their forthcoming album, SPARK, out September 16th on Secretly Canadian.  The key to SPARK—even on these saddest of songs, all of which sparkle like gentle technicolor dreams—is sublimation, or Whitney’s ability to hang around long enough for conditions to improve. The drum-less “TWIRL” is  a gorgeous note-to-self about finding new dreams and holding them close, even as the world seems to wobble on its axis. “With ‘TWIRL,’ John Congleton and Brad Cook really created the framework for us to explore a new palette,” says the band. “What started as a simple love song grew into a wider take on human connection that we feel lucky to have made.”

Foiling “TWIRL,” “BLUE” is sweet with light-stepping guitar, flourishes of keys, strings and saxophone, and Julien’s pleading voice: “The sun’s hovering over concrete // Lately you’re the only reason my heart beats // All I want is to be your only.” Whitney elaborates: “We wrote ‘BLUE’ at what I would now call ‘peak isolation’ in the beginning of 2021. In hindsight it’s clear that we were attempting to manifest a different set of circumstances through the fantasy of love.”

Watch Whitney’s Video for “TWIRL”

Watch the Video for “BLUE” 

SPARK reintroduces Whitney as a contemporary syndicate of classic pop, its dozen imaginative and endearing tracks wrap fetching melodies around paisley-print Dilla beats and luxuriant electronics. It’s an honest accounting of how it feels when you move out of your past and into your present, when you take the next steps of your lives and careers at once and without apology. SPARK maintains the warmth and ease of Whitney’s early work; these songs glow with the newness of now.

Recently, Whitney made their Jimmy Kimmel Live! debut, where they gave a “trance-like and dreamy” (Uproxx) performance of previously-released single “REAL LOVE.” This appearance gives a taste of what one can expect on their North American tour, which kicks off this September. A full list of dates can be found below and tickets for all dates are on sale now.

Watch the “REAL LOVE” Video

Pre-order SPARK

Whitney Tour Dates:

Thu. Sep. 29 – Davenport, IA @ Raccoon Motel

Fri. Sep. 30 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Ave

Sat. Oct. 1 – Milwaukee, WI @ Pabst Theater

Mon. Oct. 3 – Fort Collins, CO @ The Aggie

Tue. Oct. 4 – Denver, CO @ Gothic Theatre

Wed. Oct. 5 – Albuquerque, NM @ Sunshine Theater

Fri. Oct. 7 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Jones Assembly

Sat. Oct. 8 – Columbia, MO @ Blue Note

Sun. Oct. 9 – St Louis, MO @ Delmar Hall

Tue. Oct. 11 – Oxford, MS @ The Lyric

Wed. Oct. 12 – Birmingham, AL @ Saturn

Fri. Oct. 14 – Miami, FL @ Miami Beach Bandshell

Sat. Oct. 15 – Tampa, FL @ The Orpheum

Mon. Oct. 17 – Orlando, FL @ House of Blues

Wed. Oct. 19 – Jacksonville, FL @ Intuition Ale Works

Thu. Oct. 20 – Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse

Sat. Oct. 22 – Athens, GA @ Georgia Theatre

Sun. Oct. 23 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel

Mon. Oct. 24 – Charleston, SC @ Music Farm

Tue. Oct. 25 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle

Wed. Oct. 26 – Charlottesville, VA @ Jefferson Theater

Fri. Oct. 28 – Nashville, TN @ Eastside Bowl

Sun. Oct. 30 – Indianapolis, IN @ The Vogue

Sun. Nov. 6 – Paris, FR @ Trabendo

Tue. Nov. 8 – Antwerp, BE @ De Roma

Wed. Nov. 9 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso

Thu. Nov. 10 – Cologne, DE @ Bürgerhaus Stollwerck

Fri. Nov. 11 – Munich, DE @ Freiheizhalle

Sat. Nov. 12 – Zurich, CH @ Mascotte

Sun. Nov. 13 – Berlin, DE @ Columbia Theater

Tue. Nov. 15 – Hamburg, DE @ Mojo Club

Wed. Nov. 16 – Copenhagen, DK @ VEGA

Thu. Nov. 17 – Oslo, NO @ Rockefeller

Fri. Nov. 18 – Stockholm, SE @ Nalen

Sat. Nov. 19 – Gothenburg, SE @ Pustervik

Sun. Nov. 20 – Aarhus, DK @ Voxhall

Tue. Nov. 22 – Bristol, UK @SWX

Wed. Nov. 23 – London, UK @ O2 Academy Brixton

Thu. Nov. 24 – Manchester, UK @ Albert Hall

Fri. Nov. 25 – Glasgow, UK @ QMU

Sun. Nov. 27 – Dublin, IE @ The Academy

Thu. Dec. 8 – Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall

Fri. Dec. 9 – Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore Silver Spring

Sat. Dec. 10 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer

Sun. Dec. 11 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall

Wed. Dec. 14 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Spirit

Thu. Dec. 15 – Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Theatre

Fri. Dec. 16 – Detroit, MI @ The Crofoot

Wed. Dec. 21 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall

Thu. Dec. 22 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall

Fri. Dec. 23 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall