Whitney will release their new album, SPARK, on September 16th via Secretly Canadian. Today, they present two new singles, “MEMORY” and “COUNTY LINES,” both of which find the band grappling with feelings of finality. Where “MEMORY” deals with mortality, album closer “COUNTY LINES” addresses the end of a relationship.
“So I call up my old friends // I’m trying to avoid this silence // And I can’t hide from bad dreams // Where I think I’m turning into a memory,” sings Julien Erhlich on “MEMORY.” As the song ends, it drifts with keys and a gorgeous string arrangement by Trey Pollard. “The lyrics of ‘MEMORY’ illustrate someone processing and eventually accepting their fear of death,” explain the band. “Halfway through writing the song our bandmate Will Miller sent along the chords for what would become the outro of the song without ever hearing ‘MEMORY.’ It was one of those harmonious moments where two separate ideas somehow fit together immediately. The final third speaking to the afterlife in a way we wouldn’t have been able to match with words.”
“COUNTY LINES” is a classic ballad of heartbreak: “Heaven knows // You and I // Only tore ourselves apart // Even those // County lines // Couldn’t keep you in my arms,” sings Ehrlich. It features string arrangements by Rob Moose and saxophone by Sam Gendel.
Watch Whitney Perform “REAL LOVE” on Jimmy Kimmel Live
PRAISE FOR WHITNEY
“Inspired more by late-night disco and soulful pop melodies, ‘Real Love’ confirms the pair have moved into a new era of exploration, and are eager for fans to feel that same spark of something new to come.” – Billboard
“Gone are most of the trappings of early Whitney, the wistful nostalgia and delicate slide guitars…It is unabashed pop music, almost playfully arranged, shiny and clean-edged.”
– FADER
“[Whitney’s] folk and soft-rock roots have evolved into more glossy terrain as they’ve matured, but [Julien] Ehrlich and Max Kakacek have rarely sounded better and breezier than on the unbeatable ‘Blue.'” – MTV
“[‘BLUE’] sees Whitney explore new sonic territories, trading their usual breezy, folk-informed indie rock for more piano-focused instrumentals that almost create an ambient feel.”
– Consequence
“‘REAL LOVE,’ the first single from the project, is a bouncy pop track built on fuzzy, electro drums that details a desire for genuine affection when a relationship reaches its end.” – FLOOD
“‘Real Love’ is a hopeful and luminous jam that has us very psyched for the new record.”
– Gorilla vs. Bear
