I’m incredibly thirsty for new Whitney music (dare I say, even parched). Their 2016 breakout Light Upon the Lake resonates with me today almost as much as it did three years ago; its muted brass fanfares, tight percussive segues, and dreamily distant vox all congeal to create a final product that, regardless of the cliche, feels instantly classic.
While the recently released single “Giving Up” helped sate some of my voracious desire for eternally autumnal indie rock, I needed more. As such, I jumped at the opportunity to attend the band’s listening party for their upcoming LP Forever Turned Around at Baby’s All Right this past Wednesday the minute I was notified by a close friend. In Baby’s sardine-can sweatbox and over the murmurs (and in some case openly brazen conversations) of fellow attendees, I bent my ear to hear the tune of the Chicago ensemble’s latest effort.
Band members Julien Ehrlich and Max Kakacek were of few words as they stood behind the venue’s DJ booth, remarking politely how excited they were to be in a New York before plainly stating, “we’re going to play the new record now.”
Beginning with “Giving Up,” its sultry minimalistic bassline resonating within Baby’s front barroom, before transitioning into the as-of-yet unreleased cuts from the rest of Forever, it became clear that Whitney had no intention of reinventing the wheel on their sophomore LP. Still present are the characteristic mellow progressions and effervescent vocals of their debut, albeit with more moments of stillness; while Light as a record is filled with sound from start to finish (save for its title track, which serves as a hushed eye in the center of the storm), Whitney’s second album is more content with letting moments of quiet repose play centerstage.
Whereas Light had something to prove in the form of its full-band fanfares, I couldn’t help but notice periods of minimalist instrumentation through Forever’s A side—a welcome addition, given the energetic, marching nature of their debut.
Simultaneously, Forever Turned Around has a stronger reliance on tactile sounds, with more noticeably acoustic instrumentation than on their first album. As such, it colors the rest of the record with a strong, roots-rock (at times almost folk-rock) vibe, while at the same time providing space for warm trumpet interludes and the occasionally jazzy instrumental passages.
Such instrumental components prompted one attendee to openly remark, “now I see why country’s coming back.” While I’ve always likened Whitney’s sound to be more folk and soul influenced, it does raise the question of whether the Chicago outfit is but another facet of the nationally-growing yee-haw agenda.
Max Kakacek of Whitney
At roughly 36 minutes in run time, Forever Turned Around delivers the same cozy listening experience of Whitney’s previous effort, delivering unto fans something more acoustic, more instrumentally melodic, and more lush. Its aptly timed release date of August 30th (via Secretly Canadian) will furnish listeners with the perfect soundtrack as we transition from a languid summer into a hopefully cooler autumn.