Whitney reach new heights on "Dandelion"; announce new album "Small Talk"

With the announcement of Small Talk, due November 7th via AWAL, Whitney step confidently into the most emotionally rich and sonically mature chapter of their career. The Chicago duo of Julien Ehrlich and Max Kakacek—longtime collaborators since their Smith Westerns days—have crafted what might be their most affecting and cohesive record yet. Recorded independently in the summer of 2024 with close friends and no external producer, Small Talk is a self-assured collection that retains Whitney’s signature tenderness while embracing new textures and wider horizons.

Their latest single, Dandelions, captures this evolution in full bloom. Ehrlich’s falsetto is wistful and world-weary, riding a breeze of brass, sweeping strings, and Kakacek’s plaintive slide guitar. It’s a midsummer reverie that aches with reflection and glows with warmth—quintessential Whitney, but more expansive and detailed than ever before. The single follows Darling, a track released earlier in the summer that hinted at their sonic resurgence. Together, the two songs preview an album that embraces change without shedding what made Whitney special to begin with.

Small Talk offers a double dose of magic: songs that evoke the familiar melancholy of their earlier work and others that explore new emotional terrain with clarity and curiosity. The arrangements feel organic but cinematic, with lush instrumentation wrapping around lyrical moments of doubt, memory, and quiet hope. Ten years into living and creating together, Ehrlich and Kakacek have found the freedom to stretch, experiment, and trust their instincts—and it shows.

Small Talk will be available on 140g vinyl in limited “Crimson Moon” and “Bone” colorways, signaling not just another release, but a turning point. Whitney sound more confident, more curious, and more emotionally resonant than ever—and if Dandelions is any indication, Small Talk may very well be the album their fans have been waiting for.

You can Pre-Order Small Talk HERE!