There are two types of music in this world: music that you listen to, and music that defines you. If you want to get to know me, my list's short and sweet: The Format, alt–J, The 1975, The War On Drugs. I thought I had the whole music thing figured out.
Then, one abnormally beautiful day in March sitting on Rodin Field, I listened to "Golden Days" for the first time, and that’s when I learned that there’s a third category: music that changes you. The list for that is even shorter: Whitney. No, not Houston. This self–described "country–soul," indie–rock Americana band went and did it for me—so much so that I’m in their top 1% of listeners on Spotify. I guess you could say I’m a changed girl.
Flashback to 2013: Smith Westerns, of "Weekend" fame, calls it quits. Frontman Cullen Omori goes solo, pushing a poppier, single–heavy debut album New Misery (which he told Street all about). Meanwhile, drummer Julian Ehrlich and guitarist Max Kakacek are in Chicago planning their next move: a 6–piece band they call Whitney. They release two singles: "No Woman" and the aforementioned "Golden Days."
They blew away anyone and everyone with a heartbeat at SXSW 2016. They've achieved critical fame for their sounds–like–summer feel, nostalgic optimism, no–walls emotion and above all, singular sound that has you reminiscing of better days. Oh, and they also play the trumpet.
What’s more: they closed out iconic NYC record store Other Music’s record release parties, received invites to every major festival of the summer and sold out worldwide (I saw them in London and New York!). What all that means: I saw them live three times––to me, they’re a pretty big deal.
Light Upon The Lake is one of those albums that you have to listen to start to finish (in case you need more convincing, read this next). The combination of Julian Ehrlich’s borderline falsetto vocals and vulnerable lyrics coupled with Kakacek’s mind–blowing guitar takes you on an 8–track journey of heartbreak, happiness, love and loss in under 30 minutes that you wish would never end. And what’s cool is that the lyrics don’t tell you how to feel—the music’s so captivating that Light Upon The Lake will easily morph into the soundtrack to your life. It’s the perfectly imperfect companion for every waking moment.
"No Woman" tells the story of the post–breakup train ride—can you think of a more wrenching scene?—with a guitar solo you need to hear live to truly believe. It’s impossible not to sing along to "Golden Days," the song about the search for exactly that—the nostalgia ridden, toe–tapping acoustic guitar gets you craving a life in the Midwest on a ranch, which you didn't even know you wanted. "No Matter Where We Go" is a song of unadulterated optimism. It’s about the present, the love of your life, the time of your life, however you want to spin it—just get in your car, press play, and I can guarantee you’ll be feeling all the feelings.
You could say "Dave’s Song" is about the desire to connect, but Ehrlich revealed it’s more of a joke about their neighbor. Oh, and if you’re craving the trumpet, fire up the instrumental, jazzy "Red Moon" asap. Words don’t do justice to how good "Polly" really is, so I’ll leave that for you to experience firsthand. The final track, "Follow," is the epitome of nostalgia about letting the one you love go, with a hint of a can’t–be–contained optimism that’ll leave you wistful for the masterpiece of an album you just heard—and that’s reason enough to give Light Upon The Lake another go (or two, or three, or four). And then buy your tickets for their May 22 show at Union Transfer, after which you just won’t be the same. I mean, I'm not...
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