Last fall, Whitney released SPARK, “a shiny pop album that glints with details about late twenties’ turbulence and follows [Julien] Ehrlich and [Max] Kakacek as they search for happiness on the other side of heartbreak” (Esquire), via Secretly Canadian. This is their third album, following 2019’s Forever Turned Around, and their 2016 breakthrough and debut, Light Upon the Lake.

The duo have now presented a new single, “For A While,” which was a staple in the band’s early live sets around Light Upon the Lake. Originally known as “Rolling Blackouts,” Julien Ehrlich and Max Kakacek finished writing and recording the song in the midst of touring in 2022, eventually renaming the song. The track is euphonious with violin by Macie Stewart and bright guitar, Ehrlich’s alluring voice singing bittersweetly: “Before I reach the sky above // I’ll stretch my hands forever young // Catching the rain in the middle of a summer storm // There’s a fire on 41 // Sirens fading to a hum // The only escape takes me right back where I started from.” “For A While” was produced by Whitney, Brad Cook, Jonathan Rado, and Ziyad Asrar, and features contributions from Will Miller (horns), Lia Kohl (cello), Malcom Brown (keys), Rado (organ) and Asrar (synth). The accompanying video is made from footage on their last US tour.

Ehrlich says, “The lyrics of ‘For A While’ were inspired by a time Max and I drove past a burning car on the side of the highway in Northern Illinois. From what we could see everyone made it out safely, but in that moment we were both struck by the ubiquity of anonymous tragedy. Over the course of writing ‘For A While’ that experience evolved into a feeling of gratitude and love for all the people who aren’t able to be with us today. We’ve been working on this song for a few years and a few different phases of our lives. It’s seen some people come and go. We love you all.”

Following a 2022 North American tour, which culminated in three consecutive hometown shows at Chicago’s Thalia Hall, Whitney are pleased to announce a 2023 spring tour. This is their first west coast run in support of SPARK. Tickets are on sale now and a full list of dates can be found below.

Whitney Tour Dates:
Sun. Feb. 12 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
Tue. Feb. 14 – Antwerp, BE @ De Roma
Thu. Feb. 16 – Berlin, DE @ Columbia Theater
Fri. Feb. 17 – Aarhus, DK @ Fonden Voxhall
Sat. Feb. 18 – København, DK @ Vega
Mon. Feb. 20 – Paris, FR @ Trabendo
Thu. Feb. 23 – London, UK @ O2 Shepherds Bush Empire
Fri. Feb. 24 – Manchester, UK @ New Century Hall
Sat. Feb. 25 – Glasgow, UK @ Saint Luke’s
Mon. Feb. 27 – Dublin, IE @ The Academy
Mon. March 20 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
Tue. March 21 – Fort Collins, CO @ Aggie Theatre
Wed. March 22 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Soundwell
Fri. March 24 – Boise, ID @ Treefort Music Fest
Sat. March 25 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
Sun. March 26 – Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theater
Tue. March 28 – San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel
Wed. March 29 – Menlo Park, CA @ The Guild Theatre
Thu. March 30 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Regent
Thu. June 29 – Vilanova I La Geltrú, ES @ Vida Festival

Photo Courtesy: Daniel Topete