Whitney announce new album Spark, share first single “Real Love”

Whitney will release new album Spark on September 16. The Chicago duo, Julien Ehlrich and Max Kakacek, have also shared new song "Real Love," which you can hear below.

Spark is Whitney's third album of original material and the follow-up to 2020 covers album Candid. It is produced by Brad Cook and John Congleton and was written when Ehlrich and Kakacek quarantined together in Portland for 14 months during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Real Love," according to a statement, was written when the pair returned home to Chicago and began recording Spark. "Max and I wrote ‘Real Love’ in June 2021 right after a cross country move back to Chicago," Ehlrich said. "I was experiencing heightened levels of anxiety and panic, while the entire city was re-emerging from isolation. I’ve been running away from and self medicating my anxiety for as long as I can remember, but for whatever reason, it felt like it was time to dive straight into it. During late night sessions over a two week period, we captured the embrace of anxiety and fear in a way that resonated with us immediately. We spent the next few summer nights driving on Ashland with the windows down and the song turned up. It felt like an emotional and musical burst of light and we’re so grateful to finally be sharing that with people.”

In additon to the new music, Whitney have also announced details of a North American tour. The run of shows begins in Davenport on September 29 and wraps up with three nights at Chicago's Thalia Hall in December.

Spark tracklist:

"Nothin Remains"
"Back Then"
"Blue"
"Twirl"
"Real Love"
"Memory"
"Self"
"Never Crossed My Mind"
"Terminal"
"Heart Will Beat"
"Lost Control"
"County Lines"

Whitney live dates:

9/29 - Davenport, IA @ Raccoon Motel
9/30 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Ave
10/1 - Milwaukee, WI @ Pabst Theater
10/3 - Fort Collins, CO @ The Aggie
10/4 - Denver, CO @ Gothic Theatre
10/5 - Albuquerque, NM @ Sunshine Theater
10/7 - Oklahoma City, OK @ Jones Assembly
10/8 - Columbia, MO @ Blue Note
10/9 - St Louis, MO @ Delmar Hall
10/11 - Oxford, MS @ The Lyric
10/12 - Birmingham, AL @ Saturn
10/14 - Miami, FL @ Miami Beach Bandshell
10/15 - Tampa, FL @ The Orpheum
10/17 - Orlando, FL @ House of Blues
10/19 - Jacksonville, FL @ Intuition Ale Works
10/20 - Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
10/22 - Athens, GA @ Georgia Theatre
10/23 - Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel
10/ 24 - Charleston, SC @ Music Farm
10/ 25 - Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
10/ 26 - Charlottesville, VA @ Jefferson Theater
10/28 - Nashville, TN @ Eastside Bowl
10/30 - Indianapolis, IN @ The Vogue

12/8 - Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
12/9 - Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore Silver Spring
12/10 - Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
12/11 - New York, NY @ Webster Hall
12/14 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Spirit
12/15 - Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Theatre
12/16 - Detroit, MI @ The Crofoot
12/21 - Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
12/22 - Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
12/23 - Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hal